I popped into a major sports shop in Torrevieja last week, hoping to buy a couple of football kits for my grandsons for Christmas.
They are both crazed Manchester United fans - and actually live in the city, believe it or not. But they also enjoy the trappings of success. That’s why they are just as happy to run around in Barcelona or Real Madrid kit.
Don’t you believe it! The CHEAPEST shirt on display was €59.95…with the World Cup winners’ jersey marked up at a cool €72.95.
For some reason, the adult version of the same kit was €3 cheaper. Curious.
There’s no mystery, or course, as to why cash-strapped mums and dads are subjected to paying extortionist prices to keep their kids happy at Christmas. It’s the ridiculous wages paid to professional footballers…when pure logic tells us their income should be capped.
Top stars reportedly earn at least £100,000 A WEEK – a disgusting figure that 95% of us could not make in two or three years.
If the players’ unions had any compassion, they’d force the likes of Iniesta, Rooney and Messi to fork out a measly £1,000 each weekend to repay the folk without whose hard-earned wages they’d be a lot poorer.
The only consolation for English folk is that their heroes made up at Wembley for the fact that Spain won the World Cup in South Africa last year.
Maybe manager Fabio Capello, whose English is far from perfect, got his instructions mixed up and told his players: ‘‘If you can’t join them, beat them.’’
Published in The Courier (www.thecourier.es) November 25, 2011
