There’s a scene that keeps coming back into my head right now. It’s of Jota scoring a superb free kick against Real Madrid in the Bernabeu and celebrating like he’d just won the World Cup.
I found the reaction pretty embarrassing given the fact Celtic were 5-0 down at the time but afterwards he talked about how special a moment it was for him producing a moment of magic like that in the Champions League against one of the greats.
He should have had the head down while jogging back to the centre circle with the minimum of fuss. The point is, Jota seemed to be piling it because of where it was and the stage it was on. But if this deal to Al-Ittihad goes through he’d be throwing all prospect of more of that kind of experience straight into the bin. Remember that Brendan Rodgers banner about trading immortality for mediocrity? Jota will be trading his career at the top level for money. Simple as that.
Let’s not sugar coat it here. If he moves to Saudi Arabia, spare us any talk it’s for footballing reasons. It will be for cold hard cash. Nothing more. Listen, I get how his head could be turned. The numbers being quoted are unbelievable, with talk of up to £10million a year.
It’s a heck of a lot of money – but at what cost? Jota is 24 years old and not even in his prime yet. It was a similar story with Ruben Neves leaving Wolves for the Gulf State at 26. These guys are going into semi-retirement before they have even made a proper impact at the top level. It’s such a waste.
I know people are going to say Scottish football isn’t exactly the best league in the world but it’s still got history, heritage and it gives a platform to play in the Champions League. People might point to me moving to Scotland. That was completely different. I knew Celtic were a huge club with big ambitions. I knew it would give me a big stage and the chance to play in Europe.
Celtic had players like Henrik Larsson, Rangers had the De Boers and Giovanni van Bronckhorst, while Martin O’Neill was one of the most respected managers in the UK at that time.
It was an exciting time, it wasn’t a big money home for stars on the slide. I wasn’t offered the kinds of sums Jota and others are being offered, but I did turn down a few chances to go to far flung places for more cash.
I wasn’t interested. Scottish football has its critics but I knew I was playing for a top club and competing with the best every year. As for the Saudi Pro League? Yes, there are some big names who are going there, but you can’t tell me the overall standard is great. Jota seems to like the limelight, he loves the social media poses and so on. If he goes there he will be forgotten about.
He will also be jeopardising his status with his national team. This is a player who wasn’t too far off making the Portugal World Cup squad. If he makes this move he might as well give up on that dream. I know there are younger players going there now, but it’s still a place to go to top up the pension.
Guys like Karim Benzema can make astronomical amounts of money at a time when they might feel their bodies are starting to struggle. If Aaron Mooy was choosing to go there rather than hanging up his boots, then you’d say fair enough. He tried that in China though and he didn’t fancy it, but you can see why ageing players would be tempted.
It’s a different story for the ones in their prime. The fear is there’s more to come. The Saudis going big is definitely a worry in the grand scheme of things. We’ve seen it with their buying of Newcastle United and now the league is ramping it up. The rise of the Saudi-backed LIV Tour has caused chaos in that game. There’s concerns over where it’s all going.
A lot of golfers were tempted to take the money as well – but look at the likes of Rory McIlroy who refused it because of the prestige and platform they already had. Creating history is sometimes more important than making shed loads of cash – especially when they already have a bob of two. I totally get the massive sums involved here and the chance to set up your family for life.
I just wonder how many cars does someone need? How many houses? Would you be sitting in your mansion at 40 regretting turning your back on a career at the top level? Only the players involved will be able to say. I’d be willing to bet Jota could be sitting on his pile of money in six months’ time feeling pretty miserable.
If Jota was moving to the Premier League or Bundesliga, I don’t think that would stick in the throat so much. After all, that is Celtic’s model and you can’t complain too much when the big bids come in. Jota’s destination is the most disappointing thing – and there’s no doubt it’s a huge blow to Celtic and to Brendan Rodgers. This is Celtic’s most creative player. He brings something different to the side and he turns up in the big games. He’s been a terrific signing and even if they do get top dollar, he’s going to be extremely difficult to replace.
Rodgers would not have returned to the club if he wasn’t given assurances he would be given money to spend and it looks like his kitty is going to be further boosted. Celtic have got money and now it’s going to be interesting to see how much of it filters to the manager and who Rodgers brings in. Does he go with more project players to build up and sell on? Or does he go all out for the marquee signings that are ready made and could fire the side to the next level.
I know what fans would prefer. Celtic fans will find new heroes but I find it sad when Jota could be running out at the Nou Camp or the Bernabeu instead he’ll be counting his cash in the desert.
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