Axel Witsel picked Chinese money over European prestige, and that's OK
Axel Witsel's decision to turn down a move to Juventus in favor of a lucrative offer from the Chinese Super League has fans around the world upset. But they shouldn't be. Witsel made the best choice for he and his family — a fiscally responsible one that considered not just the here and now but decades of stability for all involved. That is something to be applauded, if its what he wants, and shouldn’t be derided because he’s an athlete who didn’t chase “glory."
The 27-year-old Belgian international was courted by Serie A champs Juventus for months. He was on the brink of signing for the Italian giants over the summer as they made a late push for his signature, leaning on his expiring contract to force the Russians into a sale and avoid losing him for free. Zenit blocked the move, but it was widely expected that he'd move in January, or simply sign for Juventus in the summer of 2017 on a free transfer. Instead, the CSL came calling, and he chose to turn down the chance to join a real Champions League contender for the lure of China's incredible riches.
Juventus' offer to Witsel was reportedly to the tune of €4.5 million-per-year, a significant improvement on his wages of €3 million-per-year at Zenit. If he'd accepted, he'd be joining a historically powerful European team playing in the Champions League knockout rounds, with a real shot at winning the tournament. Instead, he chose to sign for China's Tianjin Quanjian, founded in 2006, for a salary of €18 million-per-year.
When Witsel's transfer to Tianjin was announced, social media exploded with fans calling him a mercenary, money grabber, and every other insult under the sun reserved for athletes who choose to put their own financial well-being ahead of anything else.
“It was a very difficult decision because on one hand there was a great team and a top club like Juventus,” Witsel told Tuttosport following the announcement.
“But on the other there was a crucial offer for my family that I couldn’t turn down. The leadership at Juventus have always behaved like gentlemen with me and I can only be grateful to them."
Everything about Witsel's answer was perfectly reasonable. He acknowledged the draw of the world's most prestigious club competition, but he was realistic about his motivation to provide for his family and assure his future; and why shouldn't he be?
More than ever before, soccer is a business. It's driven by profits, margins, and turnover. Players are equally commodities and employees, free to be traded and dealt as balance sheet and finances dictate.
In the business world, a move to a new job that led to an employee sextupling their salary would be greeted with congratulations and praise. But for some reason, this sentiment doesn't seem to apply to athletes. Why should sportspeople be held to a different standard than the rest of the world?
For supporters who watch the sport day in and day out, it can be difficult to grasp that this beautiful game of soccer is just a job for a number of athletes. While many fantastic players do show up and entertain the crowds simply for the love of the game, for others, it's solely an avenue to make a comfortable living and take care of one's family. Fans often live vicariously through their sporting heroes, and to hear that they're motivated by money rather than a pure, unadulterated passion for the game can be a real hammer blow, especially given the tiny minority of people who do earn the opportunity to be professional athletes.
Clubs can't exist without their players, but every single player in the game can, and eventually will be replaced, no matter their status, history, or ability. Should Lionel Messi forget how to walk tomorrow, another player would step in for him instantly. If Cristiano Ronaldo suddenly lost the ability to trap a soccer ball, someone else would be in his spot the very next match. It's just how things work.
Every day, players see their careers ended by injury, loss of form, or simply because their team decided it was time for them to move on. As beautiful as it is to see a player like Francesco Totti still plying his trade at the age of 40 for the club where he started his professional career, there are countless more whose careers never even got out of the blocks.
Because of this, Witsel's decision makes perfect sense. As alluring as the chance to make history in world soccer's most esteemed club competition is, he's not just playing for himself. He's playing for his family. While he would still be making millions at Juventus, he's set to make €54 million more over the same period in China. That's the type of money that provides security for generations, not just a comfortable life for Witsel and his family in the now.
Witself chose the best route for himself and his loved ones. He made a decision that may not have fit the outside expectations, but it was his alone to make. And we can't blame him for that.
