The European football exodus
Anna Jolivet et Hermann Graf von Westerholt
Why David Beckham, Thierry Henry and Samuel Eto’o have decided to spend the autumn of their careers abroad.
Home to some of the world's finest clubs in professional football, Europe has established its status as “the promised land” among young footballers. In 2013, a survey showed that nearly 40% of the players in 31 European leagues were foreigners. Regardless of their origins, these sportsmen come to Germany, England and Spain to pursue their careers and to compete with other players at the top of their game. At the same time, very few Europeans leave the continent to start their careers.
Recently, more “exotic” destinations, like emerging countries in Africa and Asia, have started to attract European footballers who are past their peak and looking for a comfortable, lucrative way to end their careers. The same goes for the United States where public interest in soccer has grown rapidly since the 1994 World Cup final took place in Pasadena, CA.
But since the skill level of clubs in the USA, Africa and Asia is markedly lower than in European leagues, club owners are forced to pay more to sign former stars. If it were not for the money, big names like David Beckham, Thierry Henry or Samuel Eto’o would never have agreed to « waste » their talent in the American MLS or the Russian Premier League.
Samuel Eto’o became the highest paid football player in the world with a salary of €20M per year, or, as he called it, « an offer corresponding to my talents » - when he joined Anzhi Makhatchkala in 2011. However, Eto’o had to return to the English Premier League in 2013, moving to Chelsea London when Suleiman Kerimov, Anzhi Makhatchkala’s Russian owner, announced plans to drastically cut back on investments. This example shows that most of the transfers in question are initiated by super-rich club owners whose interest in football as a long-term business investment may be limited.
A perfect counter-example of this is David Beckham’s transfer from Real Madrid to Los Angeles Galaxy in 2007. Despite his fixed salary of around €5M being comparatively low, « Becks » was able to secure exclusive rights to the use of his image as well as some other huge publicity deals. In total, the “Beckham brand” earned him around €90 million between 2002 and 2009. As most of his income was based on publicity, Beckham himself had considerable interest in keeping his sponsors happy. His sponsors, in turn, seemed to be quite satisfied with the « Spice Boy’s » move to LA. Beckham’s continued success on the pitch, and the hype he generated, granted them access to new, unexploited markets. Thus, it comes as no surprise that this partnership lasted longer than Eto’o’s adventure in Russia.
Shining stars of the profession are not the only inviduals that are drawn away from their homeland to answer the call of money. In India, some agents have specialized in drafting aging French first and second division players, paying them up to $80,000 per season. In addition to higher salaries, these players are also offered attractive short-term contracts allowing them to return to Europe as soon as other offers become available. The fact that the Indian season starts in October and ends in December makes it even more attractive for both players and investorsm as the risks are limited.
Samuel Eto'o salutes the crowd with his team mate Thierry Henry as he celebrates scoring his side's sixth goal during the La Liga match between Barcelona and Malaga at the Camp Nou Stadium on March 22, 2009 in Barcelona, Spain. (Photo by Jasper Juinen/Getty Images)
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