When you talk about footballers, you're talking about money making machine. They are one of the highest employees in the world. They live in affluence and can afford to live the lifestyle they choose. Money is good no doubt but it sometimes gets into people's heads and lead them astray. Each time I remember some of these players, they were really good players during their football career but I don't just know why things went wrong. Well, looking at these players they didn't really love sports. They saw it as a vehicle to get money and fame.
Just as unwise decisions and injuries can ruin a player's football career, greed can also have a fair share of ruining a footballer's career. Some have been stories of professional footballers who were very real challenge but they ended up being broke. Although, you may argue that excessive love of money isn't the root of all evil, but let's try to consider the following professional footballers
5. Nicholas Anelka
He was lucky to discover his football talent at a young age and he really played good football at age 20. He sacrificed a whole lot of time and discipline to get to professional football level but it's a pity Anelka greed's and lackadaisical attitude affected his football career.
Anelka was already getting to the peak of his dream as a promising footballer when he scored 17 goals in 35 appearances for the Arsenal during 1998-99 season. At age 20, he was one of the youngest sought players in Europe. At a point, he began to make outrageous demands which made Arsenal Wenger him to sell off to Real Madrid who bidded a whooping sum of £22.3m. Anelka wasn't really concerned about football but money. He got to Madrid and flopped badly and was sold back and forth between European clubs before he finally found himself in Chelsea in his late age. He played for Chelsea for a short time and many of us can't explain how his career actually ended his career till date. He vanished into the thin air
4. Paul Merson
This promising young player started career at Arsenal before playing for Hull City. His problem started with cocaine addiction and he battled with it during his football career. Instead of FA to ban him, they decided to help him but all their efforts proved futile. Merson was later sold to Aston Villa where he confessed he wanted to have his fingers broken so that he would do away with gambling. He want into huge debt and Aston Villa helped him pay off his debts but Merson never ceased jumping from one debt to the other. He finally confessed that his love for excessive money played a very important role in ruining his life.
3. Emmanuel Adebayor
He's a Congolese born footballer who played for Monaco before he was sold to Arsenal. When he came to Arsenal, Arsenal Wenger really tried his best to help him become a fan of the favourite in his first season. In his second season, he scored up to 30 goals and began to make outrageous demands despite being paid twice for doing half the work that was expected of him. Report has it that Adebayor is stingy and detests his own parents and avoids them like the plague.
Emmanuel Adebayor seemed not to be happy with what he was earning but was always making outrageous demands out of his greed. He finally jumped at €25 million bid of Manchester City where he totally flooped.
Adebayor wasn't an intelligent player but more of a careless, clumsy and greedy player. He was later sold to Lyon who realized Adebayor was nothing but an expensive problem and that was how his career ended.
2. Andriano
You can see the picture of Andriano above having a shave in Rio. During his prime, he had the potential to be one of the best strikers in the world in 2000s. He rose to fame with the speed of light and riches took him down.
At a young age, he played for local community team. He aspired to be a rich man. It was this dream that, along with his loving family, catapult him to succeed in his quest to become a professional player who would one day grace the pitch at some of Europe’s greatest clubs.
During his time in Parma, he was able to score 23 goals in 37 games and by the time he was sold to Inter, Android also perform well by scoring 38 goals in 78 appearances which earned him a 5 year deal by Inter. The problem with Andriano wasn't that of greed but unwise spending.
One could say that his fortune marked the beginning of his failure. He became a player who couldn't do without clubbing and drinking. He was always going around with sleeping with prostitutes and performing poorly in matches. Nowadays, Andriano can be found in Rio roaming around with his gangs. There's no denying the fact that he had all the potential and raw talent to become on off all time footballs greats but actually went wrong. It is very sad to see a fall from grace of this magnitude
1. George Best
Some.of us may not know him but when you talk about womanizing and alcoholism, Georgia was an undisputed champion in such act. His habitual addiction led to his untimely death at age 59 in 2005. George was a remarkable and talented player whose career was ruined by alcoholism. It was so terrible that he became a shameless man who was getting drunk at his club and was always creating a scene. His alcoholism and reckless spending really affected his footballer career and in just a matter of time, he was out of football
In 1969, he announced that he had given up on such a repulsive behaviour but that only lasted for 30 minutes. His undying love for money and alcoholism led to many health complications, imprisonment and he finally lost his life when he developed kidney problem. What a sad end
Greed brings out the worst in people and even can destroy people’s lives. Looking that the history of the footballers shown above, we saw how greed and unwise drove them insane and cost them their career. Anybody living in affluence can become poor if care is not taken. Aside pride, greed and reckless spending can ruin the life of a man.
I drop my pen at this juncture 😎
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