Food For Thought: Are Kaka And Cristiano Ronaldo Worth €160 Million?

Are Kaka And Cristiano Ronaldo Worth It?

Iker Casillas said, Cristiano Ronaldo said and now Kaka says: Real Madrid were justified in paying the huge amount they did for Kaka and Ronaldo. Madrid paid AC Milan an astounding €67.2 million and then went €26 million better when they made Ronaldo the most expensive footballer in the world by paying Manchester United a whooping €93 million.

Madrid president Florentino Perez himself sees Kaka and Ronaldo as investments and is pretty much confident that they can recoup the money in one year. After all, as Perez said, the now second most expensive footballer in the world Zinedine Zidane was the club's cheapest signing in his first reign at the Bernabeu.

But many have branded this almost reckless throwing out of cash by Madrid as obscene and argue that no player is worth €93 million, UEFA president Michel Platini admitting that he was embarrassed by this. Of course, a combined amount of €160 million does seem a lot – and it is a lot of money- but the thing is that Kaka and Ronaldo are two of the best players in the world at the moment and Ronaldo is not even at his prime and is still only 24 years of age.

Of course, both would have to prove their footballing worth on the pitch next season and beyond and until that happens there will be a doubt on their price tag, but marketing, publicity and sponsorship-wise Kaka and Ronaldo could well be worth more than they were paid for.

Wesley Sneijder - Should He Stay Or Should He Leave?

Real Madrid can register only 25 first team players for the upcoming season and at the moment they have more than that. So a number of players would have to be chucked out and if reports are to be believed then the Dutch contingent would be booted out. Would Wesley Sneijder, one of Madrid's best players in their title winning 2007-2008 season, be forced to leave?

If coach Manuel Pellegrini is to be believed, then no. The Chilean has already declared that Sneijder is an important part of his plans at the moment, although he has not concretely said that the Dutch international would be staying on at the Bernabeu beyond the summer.

Sneijder is a world class attacking midfielder but last season's injury combined with a dip in form did not do him much good and with some mega-signings that have been made so far and with a couple or so more players to come, Sneijder's place in Madrid's starting xi is well under jeopardy. True, the Dutchman would be an asset on the bench but in a World Cup year it is clear that Sneijder won't be happy with a part-time role at the Bernabeu.

But then again, Madrid want to sell him at a high price and at the moment there are no high-price-paying buyers for the player.

The Pavel Nedved Situation

Pavel Nedved decided to call it a day at the end of last season after spending a glorious period with Italian powerhouse Juventus. He was supposed to retire from football altogether but the 36-year-old now seems to be eager to play on.

In recent weeks Nedved has been linked with a move to Juve's bitter rivals Inter Milan but the former Czech international has made it clear that he does not want to betray the Juventus supporters and won't play in Italy again. But he has refused not to play elsewhere and apparently still thinks that he can carry on for some more time.

Last season Nedved had a decent outing and although he does not have the legs to last the entire 90 minutes in a match, the Czech Fury can still put up a moderate display and still possesses the energy and enthusiasm to play for a mid-table club, maybe not in the Premier League or the Spanish Primera Division but elsewhere.

Subhankar Mondal