Loyalty in Football

Everyone was surprised when the news of Cesc Fabregas joining Chelsea broke up. Why Chelsea? Off all clubs in the world? Before the transfer was done, it looked very clear that Arsene Wenger didn’t want to sign Fabregas even when Arsenal have the first option to sign him from Barcelona, should the Catalan club wanted to sell him. It was an open secret that Fabregas was never been loved by Barcelona. He was often being made the scapegoat for all the bad things that Barcelona was going through. However his decision to join Arsenal’s direct rival, Chelsea is an issue of disloyalty. He was once quoted to have said about never want to play in England other than for Arsenal Football Club. But this case of betrayal is serious because Fabregas was not a nobody at Arsenal. He was their captain and legend, the symbol of the club.  

This trend has becoming an infectious disease among footballers nowadays. We often heard about players care so much about their clubs. That is nonsense. Nothing lasts forever. Even love. Because we are all going to die one day. The sight of a ‘one-man club’ is becoming a rare commodity. The likes of John Terry, Steven Gerarrd, and Ryan Giggs who are very loyal to their beloved clubs and played their heart for the clubs are things of the past. Other clear examples of players jumping ship are those of Fernando Torres and Mario Gotze. Both also join their clubs’ direct rival. The time when they wanted out of their respective clubs was the time that they felt they will be a lot happier joining other clubs.    

There are many genuine reasons why a player would want to leave his club such as career development and chances of winning trophies. But when it comes to betraying your loyalty, there is never an excuse. The latest case is when Frank Lampard, the legend of Chelsea opts to join Manchester City for this upcoming season. There is a rumor that said Lampard has a clause in his ManCity contract which will disable him from playing against Chelsea. The truth is yet to be known. To conclude, never trust a player when he kisses the club badge whenever he scores. Because soon he might kiss the club goodbye when he wants to feel a lot happier elsewhere...