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Since the inception of association football, professionalism and loyalty are the two opposite yet indispensable halves that every player has to deal with. Johan Cruyff once famously said, “When my career ends, I cannot go to the baker and say, I’m Johan Cruyff, give me some bread.”
His words can give you an idea about his professionalism towards his craft and why in spite of playing for several clubs, he was never disrespected by the fans.
But nowadays, the picture is a bit complicated. The largely ineffective long time servants are praised by the fans whereas the exceptional talents being more professional are booed. This has pushed the players into a certain dilemma: show loyalty and become a one-club man or opt for a better opportunity to chase the glory?
The decision is sometimes made under various circumstances. Glory doesn’t always come forward as the primary reason.
Around the world, there are exceptional talents who after years of service remain underpaid and there are those who hardly comes out of the bench and yet earns enough money to decorate their garage with fancy sports cars.
Let’s look at 5 such incredible talents who have impressed the world with their talent but failed to earn what they deserve.
#1 Harry Kane
The Tottenham Hotspur goal machine became the Golden Boot winner in 2015-16 season scoring 25 goals in his 38 appearances. He became the fourth highest scorer in a single season for the Spurs behind Gary Lineker, Clive Allen and Martin Chivers.
His consistent goal scoring ability propelled Mauricio Pochettino’s side to earn Champions League ticket after half a decade.
Even after achieving all these exceptional feet, Kane earns only £35,000 a week (Source: Total Sportek). Way lower than his fellow teammates like Nacer Chadli, Érik Lamela and many more.
Given his appetite for destruction, Kane could be real value for money buy in any English club as well as other European clubs but the Spurs academy graduate decided to serve the London-based club even after such low wages.
If the newly reformed contract can’t ensure a pay hike, Kane might have to consider other options in the mid-season transfer window.
#2 Dani Carvajal
Another exceptional yet underrated talent who’s largely overlooked in terms of wages at Santiago Bernabéu is Dani Carvajal. The La Fábrica graduate patiently waited for his turn in the senior squad for a pretty long time and when he got the chance, he made himself indispensable.
His fight for the position was with another brilliant wing back Álvaro Arbeloa but Carvajal impressed so immensely that even Zidane had to admit that he could not think of his starting XI without Carvajal.
Though it seems Carvajal hasn’t made much impact in the minds of the decision maker at Madrid and it shows in his payslip. Carvajal earns £35,000 a week (Source: Total Sportek) which is astonishingly low compared to almost every other regular starters and bench warmers at Bernabéu.
If his performance grade remains even the same then the next transfer window can be a matter of concern for Real Madrid board members if they want to keep Carvajal at Bernabéu.
#3 Jan Oblak
Who’s currently the best goalkeeper in Europe?
Without a second thought, anyone would say Manuel Neuer but statistics tell a whole different story. In the 2015-16 season of all European Premier Division leagues, the 23-year-old Slovenian goalkeeper Jan Oblak kept the highest number of clean sheets.
The young Slovenian filled the void of Thibaut Courtois at the Vicente Calderón Stadium and some might say that he did even a better job than the Belgian International.
As a matter of fact, not all goalies can have a dynamic presence on the pitch like Gianluigi Buffon or Manuel Neuer. The goalies are often termed as the loners on the pitch who distinguished themselves not only by their shirt colour but by their confined position as well. Hence they’re often overlooked.
Oblak earns as low as £25,641 a week (Source: sportsmaza). His recent performances have caught the eyes of many big fishes around the world which can bring a high hope for a better career for Oblak but a matter of concern for his current underpaying employer.
#4 Yannick Ferreira Carrasco
Another highly underpaid young talent in the Atlético Madrid team is Yannick Ferreira Carrasco. The 22-year-old Belgian International has proved himself to be a big match player in his first season at the Vicente Calderón Stadium.
The dynamic attacker who prefers to play as a winger or a supporting striker played just about 40 hours of football in his first season in Spain and managed to score 5 and provide another 5.
His performance as a substitute in the all-important Champions League semi-finals against Bayern Munich changed the overall complexion of the game. His latest performance in The European Championship has also impressed all football romantics as well as scouts.
Carrasco earns £32,307 a week (Source: sportsmaza) which is fairly low compared to other star performers of the team. A stable career is the minimal need of every professional and being underpaid can raise second thoughts to the employee’s mind. Surely, Atlético Madrid board members have thought about that already.
#5 Joshua Kimmich
The last name in our list is a surprise package. The 21-year-old German Joshua Kimmich. According to Pep Guardiola, Kimmich is one of those exceptional young talents whom the world would praise till the end of their career. Kimmich, who’s a defensive midfielder has played as a right-back, left-back, defensive midfield and in the central midfield for the Bavarians.
Even Joachim Löw was so impressed with the young talent that he preferred him in the starting XI of Die Mannschaft over more experienced Shkodran Mustafi.
The surprises surrounding this child prodigy don’t end here. His wages bill is the reason why he made our list. Kimmich earns £842.54 a week (Source: Total Sportek). Though it sounds unbelievable but it indeed is the fact.
Germans have always been loyal to their country but not often to their clubs. Kimmich can easily make the list of priority target for any German Superpower club and if he decides to move away from his country then his earning would surely touch the sky.
It’s time the Bavarian Giants should consider the unforeseen possibilities and refurbish Kimmich’s pay structure.
