Jeff Jacoby, the obligatory RW columnist for the Boston Globe, has been a regular whipping boy of mine. This time, the bearded one posits another circular logic theory so stupid and ignorant about soccer it makes one's head spin like a 32-paneled bal.
The most ridiculous thing about this theory is that it isn't even original, but rather a regurgitation of a dreck piece by Jonathan Last in the Weekly Standard. Last was using faulty cause and effect analysis about why some top soccer stars such as Cristiano Ronaldo have left England for Spain or why others such as David Villa, of Seville, have opted to stay in Spain rather than play in the English Premiere League.
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The Last/Jacoby thesis is based A) Great Britain has raised the top tax rate from 40% to 50%; B) Cristiano Ronaldo left Manchester United to play for Real Madrid. Therefore, Cristiano Ronaldo left England to play in Spain because the taxes in England are high while in Spain they are about half of what he would have paid in England:
As Jonathan Last recounts in The Weekly Standard, the hike in the tax rate has led top soccer stars to decline lucrative offers to join or remain with England’s most celebrated teams. Cristiano Ronaldo, Jermaine Pennant, Karim Benzema, and David Villa are among the illustrious players who have spurned the Premier League in order to play in Spain. Why Spain? Because under Spanish tax law, they qualify as “foreign executives,’’ a status that caps their income tax rate at just 24 percent. The tax differential “has become an almost insurmountable advantage for Spanish soccer teams,’’ Last writes, which is why Britain’s domination of European soccer is coming to an end.
This theory is dumb on so many levels. Allow me to explain why. First, the column from the Globe is entitled, "Obama's soak the rich mentality." Even for the circular reasoning crowd, it takes an enormous leap of faith to link this clueless observation about European football to the larger point that POTUS Obama has a soak the rich mentality.
Of course, neither Jacoby nor Last could conceptualize other reasons as to why one of the top footballers in the world like C. Ronaldo would want to leave dreary England for sunny Spain. It's the weather stupid!
Nonetheless, I have a list of valid reasons why someone of C. Ronaldo's talent would leave Manchester United to play for another club.
United had already won the European Champions League title with C. Ronaldo in 2008, defeating arch rival Chelsea on penalty kicks. Therefore, it is logical to assume that C. Ronaldo wanted to see if he could achieve that level of success with another team.
Leaving Man. U. for Real Madrid is not like being traded from the Yankees to the Washington Nationals. Rather, it is at worst a lateral move like moving from the Yankees to the Red Sox. Real Madrid plays in front of more than 100,000 fans at Santiago Bernabeau Stadium, while Man. U.'s field has a capacity of less than 70,000. Real Madrid is one of the most famous teams in football, but recently has struggled in both the Champions League and in Spain's La Liga as arch rival FC Barcelona captured both the Champions League and La Liga. Cristiano Ronaldo probably saw this opportunity as a challenge and not simply a move designed to fatten his bank account.
Another reason that someone as ignorant about football as Jacoby might not understand is cultural. Cristiano Ronaldo was a Portuguese man playing football in England. While Spain and Portugal don't share the same language, the culture between the two nations is much more similar than it was in England. Additionally, many fans from England, including some from Manchester, will never forgive C. Ronaldo for his dives in the World Cup quarterfinals in 2006 against England that resulted in yellow cards against members of the England side. Portugal ended up winning the match on penalties.
Yet another reason has to do with the type of football they play in Spain as opposed to England. In England, they play a very direct style, using very long balls and crosses from wings. Spain, the defending European champion, relies on a short passing game, which is more conducive to skillful play, which should benefit a player of C. Ronaldo's abilities.
The final point I want to make is Last's ridiculous assertion that England dominates European football. Yes, four of the ten richest clubs in the world play in the EPL (Manchester United, Chelsea, Arsenal, and Tottenham). That is based on the fact that the EPL has a very lucrative TV contract, including the recent contract with ESPN that will show live EPL matches on Saturday mornings. Other than their bank statements, the British clubs don't dominate continental sides.
England's national team last won the World Cup in 1966 and that was in part because they hosted the tournament. The reason for this is because of the antiquated style which hasn't evolved with the changing tactics of the sport. I would further argue that any success English clubs have in tournaments like the Champions League is because the EPL is so flush with skilled international stars like C. Ronaldo.
So there are myriad reasons why someone like Cristiano Ronaldo would leave Manchester to play for Real Madrid. I would be naive to think that lower taxes didn't factor into the decision at all, but Last/Jacoby would have you believe as if the lower taxes were the sole reason why he made the move to Madrid.