The reaction was swift; here was exhibit A in the argument that football has become based on money, and players increasingly greedy in their pursuit of riches.
But there is a thought which many in the footballing classes in the UK in particular have not considered properly. Perhaps Gyan did go for the money, but maybe, just maybe, he doesn’t actually enjoy the game, and has always been in it for the money.
This seemed the case with Adriano, the Brazilian forward who starred for Inter and was one of the world’s top players almost a decade ago, before his sudden and rapid decline before his peak years had even been reached.
In Adriano’s case, as Tim Vickery the esteemed Brazilian football reporter has noted, his decline seemed to be due to him just not being motivated to play the game once he’d earned enough money – that he didn’t like football that much, and that it was the financial offerings which had brought him into the sport.
The same goes for Carlos Tevez, desperate to leave Manchester United for Manchester City to the bemusement of many, who had clearly not noticed him consistently saying that he didn’t like playing football, that he wanted to return to Argentina.
For Tevez, the pursuit of greater renumeration and a bigger contract brought him one step closer to his ultimate goal; the financial security to be able to pack up and say ‘adios’ to his employers. There is also Tottenham’s Benoit Assou-Ekotto, the refreshingly honest left back who admits his desire for money is the only reason he is in the game. And good on him too. There is no shame in such an admission; many take up investment banking for the same reason. A brief career spent earning huge sums of money can bring a lifetime of financial security. That is what has happened with the influx of money into the game.
And it is something we have to accept. If we want the big money, the huge signings, the glitz, the glamour and the trappings of modern football, the seven Clasicos a year between Real Madrid and Barcelona, we have to accept that we will motivate talented footballers who actually don’t like the sport very much to come into it to make a killing.
I’m not saying Gyan is one of these players, but he may be, and we should reserve judgment for that reason. When football is flush with cash, many players won’t love the game. But if we want the money involved, that is something we will just have to learn to accept.
