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Gary Neville: Football Stars Have To Oversee Their Agents' Activities
Red Devils skipper reckons players should know where to draw the line.
Nov 23, 2009 1:09:30 AM
Manchester United defender Gary Neville believes that footballers should learn to live without having to contact their agents for every little thing in their lives.
This comes in the light of Sir Alex Ferguson launching an attack against stars who rely heavily on their agents, branding the players as being "cocooned".
"I completely agree with his [Ferguson's] sentiments," Neville said in his column for the Times of Malta.
"It is one of my pet hates when I see players who have agents that do everything for them.
"They don't know how to set up their own bank account, they don't know what they're spending their money on and they can't make their own decisions.
"Not every player is like that but some are totally dependent on agents and advisers."
He continued: "For me, life is an education and you learn things as you go through it.
"I think a footballer should sit down and negotiate with a club, even if his agent is sitting with him. It is in a player's best interests to be there and see what is going on."
The 34-year-old revealed that players sometimes pay up to 15 per cent of their weekly wages to their representatives, although he maintained that there are times when a footballer would require an adviser.
"The idea of allowing someone to look after your financial and professional existence is something I cannot agree with," he said.
"Some agents do a good job but there are others who stifle and mollycoddle players.
"Some agents will come into a player's life when he is 20, leave his life at 34 and never want to know him again.
"Every footballer needs an adviser at some point. But a player doesn't need to
pay between five and 15 per cent of his wages to a guy to set up a bank
account, buy him a new fridge, or ask his club's chief executive for a pay
rise."
Adithya Ananth, Goal.com
Sun, sand, bikinis! The Beach Soccer World Cup, the hottest tournament in the world, layers the lotion in the November issue of Goal.com Magazine.
This comes in the light of Sir Alex Ferguson launching an attack against stars who rely heavily on their agents, branding the players as being "cocooned".
"I completely agree with his [Ferguson's] sentiments," Neville said in his column for the Times of Malta.
"It is one of my pet hates when I see players who have agents that do everything for them.
"They don't know how to set up their own bank account, they don't know what they're spending their money on and they can't make their own decisions.
"Not every player is like that but some are totally dependent on agents and advisers."
He continued: "For me, life is an education and you learn things as you go through it.
"I think a footballer should sit down and negotiate with a club, even if his agent is sitting with him. It is in a player's best interests to be there and see what is going on."
The 34-year-old revealed that players sometimes pay up to 15 per cent of their weekly wages to their representatives, although he maintained that there are times when a footballer would require an adviser.
"The idea of allowing someone to look after your financial and professional existence is something I cannot agree with," he said.
"Some agents do a good job but there are others who stifle and mollycoddle players.
"Some agents will come into a player's life when he is 20, leave his life at 34 and never want to know him again.
Adithya Ananth, Goal.com
Sun, sand, bikinis! The Beach Soccer World Cup, the hottest tournament in the world, layers the lotion in the November issue of Goal.com Magazine.
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