Kaka and Ronaldo: Tandem of the Future

What’s the price to compete as one of the world’s premiere soccer clubs? Real Madrid, a powerhouse in the Spanish premier league, is infamous for its colossal contracts and big name signings. Players like Luis Figo, David Beckham, and Zinidine Zidane are among a few stars that had stints with the club.

Despite the showering effects of our recession and the 18% unemployment rate in Spain, Real Madrid continues to open their wallet as the club signed two of the top footballers in the world. This summer, the team spent over $220 million dollars in effort to acquire proven young talent. The former Manchester United superstar, Cristiano Ronaldo, and great Brazilian striker, Kaka, joined Real Madrid. They pose as one of the most dangerous duos in the sport, comparable to tandems like Jordan and Pippen, Kobe and Shaq, or Stockton and Malone.

Kaka is stand-out striker who formerly played in the Italian Serie A for AC Milan and posted 28 goals last season. Ronaldo notched 31 goals for Manchester United and is considered to be the world’s best player. Kaka signed a contract worth $92 million dollars. Cristiano Ronaldo’s agent, Jorge Mendes, worked a deal worth $131 million dollars for six years, the largest transfer in soccer history. In the first year of the contract Ronaldo, will earn $15 million dollars annually with a 25% increase season-on-season.  As a result of his contract structure, in the final year of his contract he will earn approximately $40 million dollars. To put that in perspective, it is 33 times the average for professional players in the league.  At 24 years old, Ronaldo has now made history off the pitch with his historic contract, and at this point, breaches on the top 5 sporting pay league; currently topped by Tiger Woods.