AH well, it’s only money. We’ve got so used to the sums flung about in the football transfer market that adjectives – inflated, absurd, obscene – have lost all resonance. For most people struggling to get by, how these valuations are arrived at and how they can be justified in a world where 385 million people live on less than £1.28 a day remains a mystery.

These were only a few of the thoughts that ran through my mind at news of Gareth Bale’s £85.3m transfer to Real Madrid. But I cheered myself up by thinking of another Welshman who made a similar football journey when the world was a simpler place.

If Bale turns out next weekend it will be 56 years almost to the day that the incomparable John Charles made his first appearance for Juventus. In Boy’s Own-style, he scored the winner, the first of 93 goals in more than 150 matches in which he helped the Turin team to three league titles and two Italian cups.

Charles had risen through the ranks – he played for the Army as a national serviceman – and became a star at Leeds. Like Bale, he began his career as a defender and then moved upfield. He was international class at centre half and centre forward.

His exploits with Juventus led him to be named the best ever foreign footballer to play in Serie A, ahead of Maradona, Zidane and Platini.

And there was one other record: he was never once cautioned during his career, let alone sent off. Another reminder of how the game and the world has changed.

Charles went to Juventus for £65,000 and I am sure there were some in the 1950s – when austerity was a way of life, not a temporary inconvenience – who shook their heads and tutted at the extravagance.

So maybe we shouldn’t begrudge Bale his fame and fortune. But, as he steps out at the Bernabeu, I hope he remembers John Charles and the sporting and personal qualities he stood for. Because it is only money and there are far more valuable things in life.

THOUGH they’ll be raising considerable sums for charity, the participants in Sunday’s Middlesbrough 10k and 3k fun run will be there strictly for enjoyment.

The run is now in its eighth year, not bad for something that began as a one-off experiment.

It’s one of those occasions that helps bring the town together. It’s not only the runners and their frequently remarkable stories, it’s the families, friends, the sponsors and the neighbours who all come along to support that make it special.

My running days are just about over and my Mayor-ing days will end in 2015 too. But I really hope the 10k remains a Middlesbrough fixture as it brings pleasure and a sense of achievement to thousands.

MORE news from the land of nod. Following last week’s piece on sleep-deprived teenagers, someone’s provided more information on the importance of the old eight hours.

Neuroscientists – what would we do without them? – have discovered that sleep increases the production of myelin – a substance that helps protect the immune and nervous systems and guards against disease.

Sleep also produces proteins and growth hormones.

So while it’s great to be active, there’s a time to wind down too. And if you have any trouble nodding off, well there’s always this column, isn’t there?