Sanchez is worth every penny, but his wages will be the talk of the dressing room
NORMAN WHITESIDE was on £350 a week when he won the 1985 FA Cup Final for Manchester United with one of Wembley’s most iconic goals.
Six years later, he was finished by injury.
Ask the Ulsterman what he thinks about the contract that will earn Alexis Sanchez a basic wage almost 1,150 times more than the amount he banked during his golden Old Trafford years and there is no hint of bitterness.
But Whiteside reckons the stunning £400,000-a-week deal, which has snatched Arsenal’s Chilean international away from the clutches of rivals Manchester City, shows that United are now willing to pay whatever it takes to reclaim football’s biggest prizes.
And a few of the club’s other established stars might now be knocking on the door of Executive Vice-chairman Ed Woodward. “A footballer is only worth what a club is willing to pay,” said the player christened ‘Stormin’ Norman’ by the Stretford End when he burst through the youth ranks to make his debut at the tender age of 16.
“And if United decide that Alexis Sanchez is worth £400,000 a week, then good luck to the lad.
“My view is that football is all about the players. They are the ones the fans pay money to see – the entertainers.
“What is the current TV deal worth? It’s about £5.1billion, isn’t it? Well, the players deserve to take most of that money in wages because, without them, there would be no game.
“Sanchez is one of the best players in the world and Manchester United are a club that generates millions. They can afford it, so what’s the problem? What’s ironic is that, for years and years, United were never the biggest payers. “Their view was that the honour and prestige of playing for Manchester United meant you should be prepared to sacrifice what you might have earned elsewhere. “The people running the club have started to realise, in recent years, that to get the best players you do have to match what they are paying elsewhere. “They have seen Paris Saint-germain raise the bar in Europe and Manchester City raise the bar in the Premier League. “For me, this is United drawing a line in the sand and saying, ‘We’ve got to pay what it takes to get the best players to Old Trafford’.” But Whiteside added: “The one thing I do know about footballers is that they talk about money.
“They talk about it in the dressing room before training, after training, on the team bus.
“And the deal that Sanchez is getting to join United will be one of the main topics of conversation among the players because they will now want a piece of the action.
“About 99 per cent of footballers are working-class people. They want to know what the others are earning because they want the going rate.
“I earned 16 quid a week when I made my debut as a substitute at Brighton in 1982 and, although I was only on the pitch 12 minutes, I got an £800 bonus.
“A few years later, when I was 21, I remember moving into a new house after signing a new contract. When I next met up with Northern Ireland, one of the senior lads came over to me and demanded to know how I could afford
my new place. By the time I scored that goal in the FA Cup Final against Everton in 1985, my basic wage was £350 a week.
“There’s a few more noughts on the end of what Sanchez is getting!
“But will the United players be talking about what his contract is worth? All day, every day.”
Just two months after making his debut at the Goldstone Ground, Whiteside replaced Pele as the youngest player to appear at the World Cup. It’s a record he still holds. A year later – after scoring in both the finals of the FA Cup and League Cup – he rejected the chance to earn a £100,000 signing-on fee from AC Milan when United had agreed a £1.5million deal to sell him to the Italian giants.
“I didn’t feel ready,” said Whiteside. “I’d had one full season in the old First Division, I’d been to the World Cup, but I didn’t feel like I had done anything.
“I made a plan. I’d give it 10 years at United and then maybe go abroad to broaden my experience when I was near my peak.
“But, by the time I was 26 I had joined Everton and my career was ended by a knee injury.”
During his seven years at Old Trafford, Whiteside played along Bryan Robson, the “Captain Marvel” who wore the No.7 shirt with such distinction for club and country.
Three decades on, Whiteside believes the decision to hand Sanchez the shirt that has since been graced by Eric Cantona, David Beckham and Cristiano Ronaldo is significant.
Whiteside said: “To be honest, when I played, none of us cared what number we wore, but, in the era of squad numbers, that United No.7 shirt has become iconic.
“Robbo was the first, of course, and I think that Sanchez is the type of player who will thrive as Manchester United’s next No.7.
“Would it have been a deal breaker? No chance. But, in terms of helping United beat City to the player, it would have made him feel a bit more special.
“I think giving him the No.7 shirt also probably closes the door on Ronaldo coming back to United.
“Reports have started up in Spain again that he might fancy a return to Old Trafford.
“Giving Sanchez the No.7 shirt is a big clue that United have moved on from that ever happening.”