Media Value in Football

Today's topic of the week is this intangible thing we call player value. Now, I'm not talking about the value that a young Paolo Maldini brought to pitch, orchestrating the great Milan defense under Arrigo Sacchi, or even what Lionel Messi clearly brings to the Barcelona attack. I'm talking about intangibles. Oh, and not the unquantifiable, pitch related abilities of leadership, heart, "quality", even vision which isn't necessarily correctable by laser surgery. I'm talking about the real reason behind the big-name transfers: "Media Value".

Now, certainly I didn't invent the term. My friend Elisa sent me this article from the University of Navarra in Spain. They published a paper on "Media Value in Football". It's a pretty vague term as they describe it, calling it the value "of sportsmen('s) prestige, public attraction and mass media exposure." What I call it is the Beckham factor.

Now, I'm not denigrating the guy's skill on the pitch, certainly not in his youth when what little pace he had was still available to him in spurts, but any other English player faced with the specter of his diminishing skills would have been forced to retire or fall back to the level of playing for Wigan, Charlton or Derby. I would have said Liverpool but that would be mean.

Instead, because of his unparalleled media footprint, he has been able to extend his playing career because of his worth as a global marketing brand. Fiorentino Perez knew it, so did half the companies he brought in to finance his Galacticos. It's process that a club has to follow in the new scheme of global football. A club like Real Madrid essentially became the biggest club on Earth in the 1990's because of the Galactico's. In John Carlin's book, White Angels; Beckham, Real Madrid & The New Football, the author tells of the impact that Beckham had irrespective of playing for the club. Companies that would never have invested in the sport were brought in because of his marketing appeal. It's no wonder, that despite his advancing age, a club in a fledgling league like MLS has taken him in with the same expectations.

What now though? Manchester United have Cristiano Ronaldo, Wayne Rooney and Carlos Tevez. All three are in the top 10 in the report. Barcelona are well represented for the time being with Lionel Messi and the ubiquitous Ronaldinho but that will change with the buck-toothed one's imminent escape to Milan to join Brazil compatriot and fellow media-value darling Kaka.

Is there a trend? Well, from what I see it isn't just the ability to sell a product, talent on the pitch or definitely attractiveness. It could be tied to a good management team or a savvy gaggle of lawyers. It may even be one's own force of personality. More than likely it's the club that makes the idol instead of the other way 'round.