Football has changed from what we knew. Football has evolved over the years and I don't know whether to say it's a good thing or not but it has both the good sides and the bad sides too because as much as I can say it is good due to the publicity and attention football is getting, I am afraid we are also losing what football stands for as well.
From the Era of Pele, you could see that football was never about the money back then but now, it has been predominantly money dominated. I shared a post regarding Newcastle's resurgence earlier in the week and we have seen the same with Manchester City over the years too. There are some players you would never expect to play for certain clubs but with money involved in sports these days, anything is possible.
I wouldn't have dreamed of Robinho joining Manchester City when he did. It was not about the project but about making a statement. Football focuses so much now on the advertisement aspect which of course, funds the club. I doubt Robinho was convinced about City's project then. It was more about the money and we saw how he couldn't even live up to the legendary status the team expected. I can't even remember Pele leaving Santos at any point even when the offers came to him. In his documentary that I watched, the president of Santos back then said Pele was not for sale at any price but now, you can buy loyalty with money.
Players these days have their loyalty swayed by those with better money to offer and this is why a lot of them don't do quite well as you would expect because the money gets into their head and they imbibe the kind of lifestyle that is alien to what is expected of them. I am sure we have seen over the news the kind of lifestyle Jack Grealish is living now since his move to Manchester City. I am sure he was like that at Villa too but with City now, he has taken it up a notch because there is money to throw around.
Money is good in football because the transfers get the fans excited and it could also be a wonderful investment if the player bought is of value but I am afraid that we are losing the whole essence of football. During the time of Pele and Maradona, we have players who play their hearts out for their respective teams. They would stake their body for it because it's about passion, about what the players feel but now, it's about money and recently there was a player whose salary figure was released by the press and I heard there was unrest within the squad when they got to know the amount the player is collecting. This can do more harm than good and teams have broken up with much less.
I watched Patrice Evra's interview yesterday on Skysports and he said they always push each other to be the best and he saw the group he was in back then as a family. In his words, he said, "We are expected to do our part and any player that is dragging the team down, we would kill him." That was his words.
So, it was about passion, about family, about making history back then but now, it is about playing better, being recognized so they can earn bigger deals elsewhere. We have seen that with Rudiger and even with Wayne Rooney when he wanted to force a move to City just to get a pay rise. Football has changed and I can't guarantee that it would change any time soon, so this is a trend we have to get used to.
Now, footballers are also more concerned about what they eat so they can prolong their careers. Seeing Zlatan and Ronaldo, even Messi, still pushing despite their advanced age was impressive. Back in the day, most footballers would retire at the age of 33 because there wouldn't be any resale value on them anymore and they can't play every match and not every team can afford to keep bankrolling their salary with limited game time but now, it has changed because they see them for the physical condition they are in and the experience they have.
It wasn't surprising to me when Evra said Ronaldo asked him to come to his house after training. He went there hoping to eat the best of meals only to be offered white chicken with no fats. Now, footballers know better that it's not just about having to play football but prolonging it for as long as they can which is why what they eat matters a lot.
I've heard stories of Guardiola warning the kitchen staff at Etihad about the kind of food to make available for his players. Coaches want their best hands to be in good condition and use them for as long as they can. During the era of Pele and Maradona, such wasn't the case and it's something new to football now; a wonderful trend but I must admit that it's helping. It's about living healthy as well and this particular trend would continue for as long as possible because most people would see the benefits of this going forward.
I just felt like sharing my 2 cents regarding the trends I have seen in football over time with money being at the center of football now and also taking hygiene seriously because it hastens recovery for players as well.
Cheers.