Education How long would it take you to earn a top footballer’s salary?

And don't they complain about paying taxes? But people don't think twice about putting down £500,-- to £1000,-- for a season ticket.

Don't get me wrong: I value entertainment and shallow consumerism. It helps me unwind and relax after a week of dealing with psychologically traumatised, very sick or very injured patients, so as far as I'm concerned the guys at Selfridges perform a valuable public service. But there is a loss of perspective when I hear people complain about how much a consultant doctor makes, but they have no problem with the millions a footballer makes.

 

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Exactly my point! It's sickening how wealth is split and as a species we without question or thought promote it.

 

Yes of course they do. No one actually enjoys paying taxes. No one looks at glee at the amount scooped out by the taxman. Just because its essential doesn't mean a person has to like it.

People don't think twice about spending money trivialities because its theirs to spend as they see fit. They have made their contribution.

 

On your current salary, it would take you 520 years to earn Cristiano Ronaldo's annual wage.

Cristiano Ronaldo earns €18,200,000 per year. It would take him 19 minutes to earn your weekly salary.

 

If that were so, people would be paying for stuff that they need more than stuff that they want. That does not appear to be the case.

 

Thank you Nexxo, glad there still are people thinking that way. My wife's currently back on to the school benches, 3 years to become a nurse.

she already has a master in chemistry and also as a diploma from a famous french journalism school. She worked for almost 10 years as a scientific journalist, to finaly realise that she needed something where she's usefull to other peoples. She's now back to school, with a salary cut ahead as nurses earns half the pay of a journalist.

 

Some people just prefer to invest their resources in what to do between birth and death, rather than worrying about death until it inevitably comes.

I spend money on car insurance, home insurance, and life insurance. But not health insurance.

Being alive and healthy, but without anything to do, just isn't so attractive that it's worth prioritising. Put a man on a rock for 70 years but with nothing to do and try telling him entertainment is not a necessity.

People get sick, injured, disabled. Then they die. One day it will happen to me. Maybe next week; maybe 50+ years from now. Personally I sometimes wonder why we bother spending as much money on health as we do. How much of global health expenditure is on things that actually threaten the species? But yes, I do realise healthcare plays a role in stabilising a society.

Oh, and for what it's worth, I've never paid for Sky TV and never intend to. But the economics of it appear that plenty of people like paying to watch the theatrics of football from the comfort of their own home. Living vicariously means we don't have to put in the dedication and sacrifices that the likes of Ronaldo have.

 

I think this is an interesting sentiment, and it got me thinking. Someone like Cristiano Ronaldo is clearly dedicated to football, and I suppose he's made some sacrifices in his life to get where he is today. I wonder if he ever turns on the television to watch nurses manage a hospital - mind you, those nurses are every bit as dedicated and have made the same sacrifices for their careers.

Does someone like Ronaldo ever dream about making less money and having less fame, and does he ever live vicariously by watching television programs about people working in office cubicles?

 

I wonder how many people have turned down the sort of opportunity it is to play professional football so that they could pursue their dream of being a nurse...

 

Maybe a matter of priority and what is important to you: Money or people. I've made my choice.

 

Made your choice did you? Which club made you an offer?

Does anyone seriously disrespect Ronaldo for taking up the offer of pro football rather than pursuing something like nursing.

Kids don't choose football cos it'll make them rich, the money comes later for the lucky few.

Kids play football because it's an exhilarating game, culturally exciting, coated with the dream of actually getting to do it as a job. Football then chooses those that rise towards the top in terms of ability. A minority of those then get to go on and earn a lot of money.

Find me one person who turned down a professional football club to become a nurse. Do you know what, there probably are a few, but there's millions more who'd go the other way.

It's not about priorities, it's about opportunities. Some people choose nursing as a vocation from a very early age, and some of those will actually go all the way, qualifying and working as a nurse. But a lot of other people choose nursing later in life, 16+, because there's nothing more exciting on the table, and because it culturally grants a person the status of 'good person', and isn't very competitive provided you can qualify. Don't pretend otherwise.

 

This is you POV, not mine. So someone turns into a nurve if it is:

1. A vocation
2. When there's nothing else on the horizon
3. To be labeled as a "good person"

Did you ever imagine that someone could deeply like to help people, without any interest ?

I do not need an offer as I would decline it. And guess what, some people do not like football or do not want to be famous or aren't chaising money at all cost. I really pity person who only have eyes for futilities and turn down everything that is not entertainment.

I would be prouder of saving lifes or being a teacher than running after a ball, but I guess that those jobs are only for loosers. Playing with a ball is for real people !

Edit: I'll stop posting here before I loose my self control.

 

Vocation - an occupation to which a person is specially drawn, especially regarded as worthy and requiring dedication. - I think this covers your first sentence.

Sanctimonious - making a show of being morally superior to other people. - this could probably cover most of the rest of your post.

Footballers don't chase money any more than anyone else who seeks employment, nor do they turn down everything that isn't entertainment.

Teenagers make a very understandable decision, when someone approaches them and says "Hey kid, you're pretty talented at this game you like playing, how would you like to do it a bit more seriously and even get paid for it?"

And why do you not value entertainment? Please see my post above about being stuck on a rock with nothing to do for 70 years.

Teachers and nurses etc. serve their State. Entertainers serve our souls.

 

I do value entertainment, I'm completely addicted to music and need it to feed my soul. I give you this point.

But I just can't let you say that anyone would choose football over nurse if they were given the opportunity. I know many people than in fact would refuse it.

This is pretty hard to really express myself about serious topic as I lack the vocabulary. I just see too many people who don't give a sh!t about others around them and only value they self enjoyment.

I suffered too much of this and would happily sacrifice my own comfort to help people who are less lucky than me.

 

Not quite the same, but you get the idea:

 

It's about both, really. You are right that many footballers just like to play football, and a lucky few get to be really good at it and earn a lot of money for it. Then again some people are talented but choose to direct those talents towards altruistic careers rather than high-earning ones (Medicine Sans Frontiers is full of medics who could be earning a tidy living in a nice clean hospital without risking their heads getting shot off or catching Ebola).

Actually, no. Nursing requires a degree these days, so it's not for the dim of mind. It is also bloody hard work, so it's not for the lazy. Frankly, for a working class young person of talent there are plenty of other socially acceptable options that require less work and earn better. The young nurses I work around these days are scarily competent and hugely idealistic (although the realities of working in the NHS tries hard to beat that out of them) and they work 12-hour shifts like horses, dealing with blood, faeces, puke, suffering, death and performing toiletting duties, complex medical procedures and emergency resuscitation with equal poise and grace.

It is not an easy career option at all; that would be like saying professional footballers only have to kick a ball around a field.

 

I don't think the footballers are doing it just for the money. I used to play handball at a pretty serious level when I was young, and I've played vs. some of the few in Denmark from my birthyear that made it pro(there's only a handfull though), and I think some of this can transfer over to football. All the ones I've played vs/heard of that made it pro has an immense joy of playing the game. Of course they were gifted with talent, worked hard all the time, sacrificed a normal youth to pursue their dream, but they just LOVED playing handball. I think that transfers to footballers as well.

They're chasing their dream of playing football, while others are chasing their dream of helping other people(my girlfriend is currently studying medicine, and her biggest dream is to help other people). I honestly don't think anyone of them wanted to go pro because of the money involved, everyone with an IQ above their age can see that the needleeye is way too small to depend on that. The money comes afterwards - just like I bet you wouldn't turn down a 200.000€ wage-increase if your boss offered it to you.

Also many footballers, Ronaldo especially, spend a lot of their time doing charitywork. I've been to Portugal once and Ronaldo is a God down there. He visits hospitals, sponsors charity organisations. All in all he's a testament in Portugal, that with hard work and dedication you can actively change your life, and that is, in my opinion, just as an important message to send, as nurses or firefighters are needed in the community

 

Yeah. But it's not fashionable to praise their good deeds