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Football is arguably the most popular sport in the world and therefore, there has never been a shortage of demand. Since the turn of the millennium, the sport has seen an obscene economic boom with broadcast, media and merchandising revenue bringing immense cash flow to the game.
As such, top-level footballers are some of the highest paid sportsstars on the planet.
Europe and South America have heavily dominated the football scene for much of its history. However, these days, emerging markets in China, Japan and the Middle East are catching up quite soon.
City Football Group and Qatar Sports Group’s high-profile investments in Manchester City and PSG haven’t gone amiss on anyone.
Money has become an extremely lucrative factor for several footballers. Many of them have even left the popular European scene at the peak of their careers to seek greener pastures with the promise of a hefty contract.
While the popular sentiment of the fans may take a moral high ground and condemn those decisions, at the end of the day, football is also a profession.
Just like any other profession in life, footballers are also well within their rights to prioritize money and the long-term well-being of their families since they have short careers.
Without further ado, let’s take a quick look at five players who decided to choose money over their careers:
#5 Radamel Falcao
Radamel Falcao made a name for himself in startling style at FC Porto. With Andre Villas-Boas leading the side, Falcao’s goal-scoring prowess helped Porto achieve Europa League glory.
Falcao’s career reached spectacular heights when he signed a deal with Atletico Madrid in 2011. Gunning under Diego Simeone in La Liga, the number 9 was going to toe-to-toe with Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo and was the scorn of defenders.
Falcao ended up with 70 goals in 91 appearances for the Rojiblancos and won another Europa League title with them.
The Colombian had no shortage of elite European suitors when he decided to part ways in 2013. However, newly-promoted AS Monaco with a recent cash-injection came calling and Falcao couldn’t deny them.
He was signed for a then club-record fee and reportedly went on to earn nearly €16 million a year in net wages.
Although Ligue 1 is not the biggest of downgrades right now, back then it was certainly a step below La Liga. Falcao could have continued to play at the highest level in Spain, but instead he chose to move to France.
The transfer proved to be the end of the prolific Colombian’s career. He may have spent a season each at Manchester United and Chelsea on loan from Monaco but has failed to make any sort of visible impact since then. The 35-year-old has now returned to La Liga with Rayo Vallecano.
#4 Hulk
Few footballers have had the pace, strength and cracking shot of Hulk in the last decade. Playing alongside Falcao at Porto, Hulk was equally responsible for the famous Europa League triumph under Andre Villas-Boas.
The Brazilian spent eight solid years in Europe earning plaudits for his consistency with Porto and Zenit St. Petersburg, scoring 110 goals in 196 matches. Hulk also appeared in 49 matches for Brazil during this period.
However, in 2016, when he was still only a 30-year-old and fit for European football, the Brazilian decided to accept Shanghai SIPG’s offer and relocated to China. Shanghai apparently paid £45 million for the services of Hulk, an Asian football record at the time.
Despite the exorbitant fees and wages involved in the deal, his career was quickly forgotten after that. After four years in Shanghai, where he made 100 appearances for the Chinese club, Hulk is now back in Brazil with Atletico Mineiro,
#3 Emmanuel Adebayor
Under the tutelage of Arsene Wenger at Arsenal, Emmanuel Adebayor used to be a scary prospect. Tall, strong, fast and possessing commendable ability on the ball, the Togolese footballer was very hard to mark.
These attributes helped him score 30 goals in 48 games across all competitions in the 2007-08 season and become a fan favourite
However, things took a turn for the worse with the Arab takeover of Manchester City. Adebayor was one of those players who deserted the ship as soon as possible when City decided to double his wages.
After scoring for Manchester City in a 4-2 win against Arsenal, Adebayor even ran the entire length of the pitch to celebrate in front of the traveling fans.
In a cruel tale of irony, he never won a trophy while playing for Manchester City and his career never lived up to high expectations. The striker had to constantly switch clubs between Tottenham Hotspur, Real Madrid, Crystal Palace and Istanbul Basaksehir, among others.
#2 Oscar
As a young footballer bursting on to the scene with Internacional and later with Chelsea, Oscar was tipped for greatness. His creativity, silky technique on the ball, passing abilities and eye for goal earned him comparisons with fellow Brazilian playmaker Kaka.
Along with Neymar and Lucas Moura, he was regarded as one of the hottest prospects emerging out of the football-crazy nation.
Oscar spent four seasons in England with Chelsea, making 131 appearances. He helped the Blues win the Premier League twice and even won the UEFA Europa League in 2012-13. Oscar also appeared for the Brazilian national team 48 times between 2011 and 2016.
His career soon faded into oblivion when he decided to join Chinese Super League club Shanghai SIPG in 2017. The Chinese club broke the Asian transfer record with a £60 million offer for the Brazilian midfielder.
Only 28 back then and in the prime of his career, Oscar had offers from Atletico Madrid and clubs in Italy. Speaking about his move, Oscar stated:
“Every football player, or every person who works, wants to earn money to help their families. I came from a social background in Brazil that is very poor.
"We didn’t have anything. This is the fruit of my work and when I earn this, it is because I conquered it. The same way I came here, I will be able to return to Europe. Whatever decision I make, somebody will talk good or bad about it."
#1 Alex Song
Despite joining Arsenal in 2005, it was only in 2008 when Alex Song attained a breakthrough in his career. Since then, he featured prominently in Arsene Wenger’s plans and had become an instrumental part of the team.
Song was responsible for doing the dirty work in the middle of the park and this allowed the likes of Fabregas and Nasri to focus on their creative duties.
However, Song gave up on a promising career when Barcelona offered to double his wages in 2012. Despite knowing that in the presence of Xavi, Iniesta, Busquets, Fabregas and Keita, he wouldn’t get much playing time, Song decided to make the move.
He went on to appear in just 39 games for Barcelona and soon became the subject of serial transfers. Following spells at West Ham and Rubin Kazan, Alex Song disappeared from the public eye and his career never recovered. He was quoted as saying:
"When Barcelona offered me a contract, and I saw how much I would earn, I didn't think twice. I felt my wife and children should have comfortable lives once my career is over.
"I met Barca's sporting director, and he told me I would not get to play many games. But I didn't give a f*** - I knew that now I would become a millionaire,” Song later admitted his mistake of prioritizing money over his football career."
At 34, he now finds himself playing for Arta Solar 7 in Djibouti.
