Football. The game where one player himself can change the result of the game. However, it takes more than one player to build a team. When good players are found by the respectful scouts they go on to make history. But with the incoming of huge investors, be it the investors of Middle East or the investors of china or Russian billionaires, the very defining core of the team gets changed rapidly and hence teams who have found these players are left with nothing to prove on a level such as Champions League.
Football in today’s world is defined by those teams which are backed by the financial power where the investors are ready to splash the cash for such players.
Let’s take for example FC Ajax. FC Ajax, a Dutch football team. Amsterdamsche Football Club Ajax, also known as AFC Ajax is known to have won the Champions League four times. The most by any Dutch football team in the history of their league. Ajax has been known to bring forward the very gems of football which have gone ahead to define their respective era’s of football whenever and wherever their players have played. The players which Ajax have given to this world are Edwin van der Saar, Clarence Seedorf, Luis Suarez, Zlatan Ibrahimovic, and probably the most famous player ever to grace the football pitch, Johan Cruyff. A very detailed list of players presented to the footballing world by Ajax are as follows:
Johan Cruyff… Edwin Van der Saar… Dennis Bergkamp… Patrick kluivert… Marco van Basten… Rafael Van der Vaart… Wesley Sniejder… Marten Steklenburg… Nigel de Jong… Jan Vertonghen… Gregory van der Wiel… Urby Emanuelson… Toby Alderweild… Ronald de Boer… Frank de Boer… Danny Blind… Luis Suarez… Zlatan Ibrahimovic… Christian Eriksen… Jaap Staam… Just to name a few.
Now if we take a close look we will realise that all of them have much more in common than just being players to graduate from the Ajax youth academy. All these players respectively left Ajax to go to pastures anew. When teams from the big five European leagues came calling, these players had no other option but to play for the clubs which came calling for them. All the above players not only left the club but went on to make a statement in their new clubs. And also helped their new clubs to collect silverware at each and every level of football. Some may also go on to say that had these players stayed on with the club which brought them up, Ajax would have had more glory and success than they have right now.
Now, with the incoming of new investors and money in football, these investors have sought out to buy the shares of those clubs which are part of the big five European leagues. And each of these investors want their respectively bought teams to win silverware which is the reason these teams are ready to splash the cash on young talents and the best talents all over the world. Currently, it can be seen that teams which have such financial power are buying players which are produced by AS Monaco.
Monaco can be said to have shared the same fate which Ajax shared when they produced such world class players. If we take a look at the last two decades one can easily point out that Monaco is also responsible to bring out the gems of football. A few players brought out by AS Monaco are:
Eric Abidal… Patrice Evra… Thierry Henry… Layvin Kurzawa… Anthony martial… Stephene Ruffier… David Trezeguet… Pierre-emerick Aubameyang… Yaya Toure… Sergio Romero… Maicon… Javier Saviola… James Rodriguez… Yannick Ferreria Carrasco…… Jurgen Klinsmann… John Arne Riise… Bernardo Silva… and so on.
Such players have made history whenever these players have touched the football. However, these players like the players produced by Ajax have left Monaco in order to move forward in their careers. All these players believed that there were better opportunities being given by other clubs all over the world. The current squad of AS Monaco also has some young prodigies which can define the next generation of football by themselves.
The current Monaco squad has some young talents which have been identified by scouts and teams from all over Europe. And that now, the game of football is being developing with the introduction of new investors and their money these young prodigies can easily leave Monaco like the previous players have, in order to gain fame and prove their worth in football.
The best example can be taken that of James Rodriguez. The Colombian International which joined Monaco form FC Porto was sold to Real Madrid for a sum of 80 million euros. One should also consider the fact that when Real Madrid had paid 80 million euros, the evaluation for James Rodriguez by AS Monaco was that of 65 Million Euros, but Madrid paid more just to bring in the player to play in the all-white stripes. One can also see that from their current players who are or were part of their squad. Players like Bernardo Silva, have joined Manchester City, while other first team names are already being sought after by Europe’s elite teams such as Manchester United, Real Madrid, Chelsea etc.
Players like Fabinho, Bakayoko, Sidibe, Benjamin Mendy, Thomas Lemar, and Kylian Mbappe are already being sought after. Teams like Chelsea, Madrid and both the teams of Manchester are ready to break the bank as well as the world record for signing of such players. The most sought after player among them being Kylian Mbappe. The player has emerged as a phenomenon and is a subject of transfer rumours of more than 100 million euros. According to reports, Mbappe who has been earning 15,000 pounds a week is being offered a staggering 140,000 pounds per week by AS Monaco to keep him at Monaco, while there are a host of clubs ready to buy the player. Moreover, Adidas and Nike also are on a bid to sign Mbappe as their new face. Although Nike do have Mbappe under contract, but Adidas are ready to offer him a lucrative 5 million euros per season deal in order to poach him from Nike. His current deal with Nike also coming to an end.
Now only time can tell us whether Mbappe and his fellow team mates follow the footsteps of the previous legends and leave for other teams or stay with Monaco to help them win more silverware. However, considering the money and the teams involved in it, it will be very difficult for Monaco to keep their young prodigies. If such humongous transfers do happen then it can be easily said that Monaco are the New Ajax of the Footballing world.
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