Football's reputation as a sport overrun by prima donnas has hardly been damaged by the furore that's erupted in Spain after leaked documents detailed the finer points of Gareth Bale's transfer from Tottenham Hotspur to Real Madrid in 2013.
The paperwork reveals the lengths to which the Spanish club went to ensure star player Cristiano Ronaldo did not lose his title of "world's most expensive player" - even though the Welshman cost more.
The transfer details, released to website Football Leaks, show Real paid a little more than €100m (£76m) for Bale – €4m than they paid for their Portuguese star. And the news has caused a sensation in Spain, reports the Daily Telegraph.
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"The document detailing the deal, which runs to six pages, specified that Real would issue a press release stating that the price of the deal was €91.59m. It also stipulates that Spurs could not reveal any financial details surrounding the transfer to the media," says the paper.
"The report will have political repercussions at the Spanish giants, as it has long been thought that Real's insistence that Bale's fee was not as large as Ronaldo's was part of a concerted effort to appease their talismanic forward."
One can only guess at Ronaldo's reaction to the leak, but the Telegraph says that Bale's agent, Jonathan Barnett, "is understood to be furious".
The paperwork also reveals that Spurs will be given the option of matching any offer for Bale from an English club if he is sold before 2019, notes the Evening Standard.
That means it is not just Madrid, Ronaldo and Bale who are embarrassed, says the newspaper. It also "represents a sizeable blow... [for] Manchester United, who may feel they have to pay a significant premium to secure their long-term transfer target".
To add to the awkwardness, Real Madrid have been banned from making any new signings until the summer of 2017, notes the Daily Mail.
"The transfer ban also means the ongoing 'this town ain't big enough for the both of us' melodrama that has always served as a backdrop to Ronaldo and Bale’s relationship will have to be parked for the next 18 months. They are both staying [at Madrid]."
