Monday 20 April 2009

Reminder: Not all footballers are Greedy Guses.

Fans raise a banner protesting the financial aspect of football

Has your club ever had a high-paid player whose sat out more games than he's played? Frustrating, isn't it? Well take heart from two example of footballers who took a bash but didn't take the cash (see, I did a little rhyming there.)

Fernando Redondo

Redondo poses, clutching the ball to his chest like a newborn baby.

Following an £11,000,000 move from Real Madrid to AC Milan, Argentinian international Fernando Redondo suffered an injury just three minutes into his first training session.

After spending over a year trying to regain fitness the combative midfielder showed his class by voluntarily suspending his £2,750,000 annual wage.

He did eventually manage a comeback and played a dozen or so games before another injury finally forced him into retirement.

Damiano Tommasi

Tommasi celebrates.

Back in 2004 Roma stalwart Damiano Tommasi suffered a horrific knee injury in a pre-season friendly with Stoke which kept him out for over a year.

As a way of thanking his team for sticking by him he voluntarily accepted minimum wage.... Well, footballers minimum wage.... of around £12,000 a year. For his noble gesture the player received multiple accolades and even a papal blessing making him roughly fifty percent as holy as Stuart Elliot.