Real Madrid star Dani Carvajal has admitted that he would be open to reducing his wages in order to cut down the amount of games he is being asked to play. Following a spate of injuries for the top sides in Spain, the debate over the demands being placed on the elite players is gathering pace.
Barcelona were struggling to put more than three senior players on the bench at times last month, while Real Madrid are in a similar situation now, with eight players missing for the visit of Napoli in the Champions League. Carvajal admitted that increasingly the space to breathe for top players is tightening.
“It is very demanding. With the new Club World Cup we are not going to have free summers. It is a very complete topic, but what is a reality is that there are many injuries.”
In terms of Real Madrid specifically, he called on the squad players to step up to the occasion.
“It is not a good thing to have so many casualties. Opportunities open up for other teammates, some who do not have as many minutes and it is their time. They have to be prepared. Hopefully everyone can help and in this period they will help us get closer to our objectives.”
Many have thrown the argument back at the players, saying that if they want to play less games, they should earn less. While Carvajal noted that every player has their own view, he would be open to doing so.
“It’s something complex. There are many players who do not agree that there are so many games… in many cases inconsequential. Then they always say ‘well, if they want to play less, they should lower their salary.’ We have never said that we would not lower it. You can’t squeeze the players so much, and the quality of the games is lower. If we have to lower our salary, in terms of a percentage, then we will do so.”
Los Blancos are missing two of their key players in Eder Militao and Thibaut Courtois through injury for much of the season, while last season the reiging Ballon d’Or, Karim Benzema, struggling to hit the same form in no small part down to the physical demands of the two years combined. The end result, as Carvajal points out, is that fans rarely get to see top teams play at full strength.
Were all slaves to the system.
The only difference between football players and us is that they make more money.