If you were a United player

You do get paid for playing for England but the team agreed a few years ago to always give their match fees to charity.

Originally Posted by Grimson

By the same token, some players feel you can lengthen that short career by not playing international football. Flying off to all corners of the world, no break every other summer, etc. It's worked for the likes of Giggs and Scholes.

Maybe so, but players like Hargreaves and Ashton would probably give their left nut to play in another meaningless friendly at this point in time.

It's a fine balance, and probably very different when you are playing at that level regularly, but I like to think I'd be like Rooney, just playing every game I can and wanting to play in every possible game I'm available for.

It's one of the reasons I was pissed off with Eric, quitting at 31 ffs, there was £#%&! all wrong with him, just gave up. :shakehead: Yes, I know he had his reasons, but look at Giggs ffs, that's how a footballer should be. They have the gift that 99% of men would kill to have, make £#%&!ing use of it and enjoy it.

Originally Posted by dunk

Maybe so, but players like Hargreaves and Ashton would probably give their left nut to play in another meaningless friendly at this point in time.

You could say the same about playing for their club, surely?

It's a fine balance, and probably very different when you are playing at that level regularly, but I like to think I'd be like Rooney, just playing every game I can and wanting to play in every possible game I'm available for.

Fair enough, but he's 24. Let's see if he's doing that at 31.

It's one of the reasons I was pissed off with Eric, quitting at 31 ffs, there was £#%&! all wrong with him, just gave up. :shakehead: Yes, I know he had his reasons, but look at Giggs ffs, that's how a footballer should be. They have the gift that 99% of men would kill to have, make £#%&!ing use of it and enjoy it.

I understand what you're saying, but I'm not sure about that logic. Just because most people can't play at that level doesn't mean those who can 'owe' it to anybody to play for as long as possible. It also doesn't make it any easier for those who don't really enjoy it that much to do so. When you fall out of love with the game, you stop playing.

Professional football at any level is a job, and whatever players may say publicly, I'd bet no more than half of them really love it. There is a great deal of physical pain involved, almost daily, not to mention stress (of winning trophies at the top level, or making a living at the lower levels). Lots of pros just get tired of it after a half-dozen or so years.

Originally Posted by Grimson

I understand what you're saying, but I'm not sure about that logic. Just because most people can't play at that level doesn't mean those who can 'owe' it to anybody to play for as long as possible. It also doesn't make it any easier for those who don't really enjoy it that much to do so. When you fall out of love with the game, you stop playing.

Professional football at any level is a job, and whatever players may say publicly, I'd bet no more than half of them really love it. There is a great deal of physical pain involved, almost daily, not to mention stress (of winning trophies at the top level, or making a living at the lower levels). Lots of pros just get tired of it after a half-dozen or so years.

I understand what you mean.

It's like when I was a young lad and I used to do taekwondo. I'd done it for few years and it got to the point where I was virtually a 13 year old killing machine.

In in the end I grew weary of it and quit on a brown belt, one before black belt.