Mario Basler: 'I would cost €150 million today'
The former Bayern München player Mario Basler claims he would be worth €150 million if he played today, talks about his hardest opponent and criticizes Jerome Boateng.
Speaking in an interview with Bild, ex-Germany international Mario Basler has criticized the modern football world's financial development and escalating transfer fees.
"I would cost €150 million today," the former Bayern München player told Bild when asked what his market value would be if he was a professional today.
Basler played for 1.FC Kaiserslautern, Rot-Weiss Essen, Hertha BSC and Werder Bremen before joining Bayern München in 1996. And it was during his three-year stint at the Bavarian club he faced his toughest opponent - Bixente Lizarazu - on the training pitch.
"In training at Bayern, I was always happy when I was part of his team. He was brutally fast and aggressive. When I played against him, I moved to the other side," Basler said of the former French international.
The former winger also commented on the current state of Bayern München and took a swipe at Jerome Boateng.
"The time of Boateng is over. We experts recognize that he's playing a remarkably bad season," he said.
Basler made 262 Bundesliga appearances during his career with 62 goals and 79 assists to his name. He scored the opening goal for Bayern München in the 1-2 loss to Manchester United in the 1999 UEFA Champions League Final.