Crespo: Unscrupulous Or Worth Every Penny?

Most people already knew it, but now Hernan Crespo has confirmed he's one of the numerous money-grabbing football mercenaries that are in the game at the moment.

You've got to admire his honesty but the Argentinian frontman's comments on Wednesday will hardly endear him to the Inter Milan faithful.

Former Chelsea striker Crespo, who is reportedly a target for Spanish champions Real Madrid, said: "When you are talking about Real Madrid, you cannot deny that they are the story of football.

It's true that I'm playing less—but these are things you accept when you join a great club.

For me it was difficult to be left out of the Champions League roster. I could join a smaller club, but I prefer to play less and win titles."

The 33-year-old, who has made just three Serie A appearances this season, has certainly racked up honours over the years with league titles in Argentina, Italy and England to his name, along with a UEFA Cup winning medal and a Copa Libertadores title to his credit.

The former Parma star has also accrued transfer fees in excess of £68million and given the normal 10% signing-on fee that's a tidy sum he's picked up for just over 300 league appearances in 14 seasons.

It works out at just over 20 league games a season over his career, but while others like to earn their keep he openly admits he likes to play less and win more.

He might be unscrupulous, but his goal record speaks for itself with 34 in 65 games for the national side. If you were angling for a goalscorer football bet Crespo was your man. His domestic record of almost one goal in every two league games throughout his career is as equally impressive and some may argue he's worth every penny.