Football is no longer about success and playing in a great team and being the best player you can be. Like all other sports, it’s now all about money – not just for the people running the clubs, but also for the players. As if the whole Cristiano Ronaldo saga isn’t enough, Arsenal’s Emmanuel Adebayor has come out and demanded that if he doesn’t get the pay increase he wants, he’ll be off. And with Barcelona and Milan already making it known they want him, it seems Adebayor will be leaving north London before the start of the season.

It’s not just the top players as well; anyone who thinks he should be paid more is making unnecessary demands on his club, and I’d rather they went to a club prepared to bow down to their unacceptable demands. If you don’t want to play for a club and accept what they pay you, then you no longer deserve to play for that club, whether you’re an up-and-coming player or the club’s talisman. Arsenal tend to lose their players because of the wage structure in place, and you have to give credit to Arsene Wenger and the club’s board for not giving in to the demands of players.

It would be better for the game if they brought in wage caps as exists is in other parts of the world and other sports. Half of the reason so many clubs are in debt is because of the financial burden placed on them by having demanding players there. If Michel Platini goes through with his plans to prevent clubs in debt from playing in the Champions League, then the Premier League clubs will suffer most. Other top European clubs don’t have to worry about debt as they’re bankrolled by government officials, investment bankers and mega-rich entrepreneurs.

The pressures on winning the Premier League and Champions League, or even getting into Europe, have meant that wages have spiralled out of control to the point where it is frankly ridiculous. Fair enough, there is more money in the sport now, but that should be reinvested into the game, not to line the pockets of players and club officials because they think they deserve it. Sadly, I can’t see such restrictive measures as salary caps coming in, because they don’t exist across the board and it’s bound to contravene some European law or other, but it would be the way forward. Contracts no longer mean anything, and players are no longer loyal to their club.

The likes of Ryan Giggs and Paolo Maldini spending their entire playing career at one club are dead and buried with a few exceptions; and even Steven Gerrard at Liverpool almost left because of the lure of money. Ultimately, it’s not just football, it’s the society we live in - everyone is greedy to earn as much out of whatever it is they do. Footballers are no different, but to your average fan who earns a fraction of a weekly footballer's salary in a year, it’s very hard to agree with.