IS THE PREMIER LEAGUE STILL THE BEST IN THE WORLD? *With James Rodriguez and Luis Suarez moving to La Liga, can the Premier League be considered the best in the world? *The peak of a players game is now regarded as performing at Real.Madrid, Barcelona or Bayern Munich *Bale and Modric moved from Spurs, Xabi Alonso, Mascherano and Suarez left Liverpool and Ronaldo departed Manchester United *Television companies feed us hype, but we know deep down the Premier League is no longer the pinnacle of the game When James Rodriguez signed his contract with Real Madrid, scarcely an eyebrow was raised. Of course, £60million is a massive transfer fee, especially when the attendant salary exceeds £5m a year. But the young Colombian said he was desperate to play for Real and we instinctively believed him. They are champions of Europe, they have a team which reads like a litany of sorcerers and they are, well, they are Real Madrid. Who wouldn’t want to play for such a club? Rodriguez is prodigiously gifted but so are most.of his new colleagues. And so he walked into a dressing room containing Cristiano Ronaldo, Toni Kroos, Gareth Bale, Karim Benzema, Xabi Alonso and Luka Modric and he hoped to catch the manager’s eye. He is likely to make the starting line-up but his place cannot be guaranteed. When he has served his well-merited suspension, Luis Suarez will experience a similar process at Barcelona. This is the club which, under Pep Guardiola, took its football from the gods and now its standard-bearers include Lionel Messi, Neymar Jnr, Javier Mascherano and Andres Iniesta. Suarez has never seemed short of self-belief but even his ego may be daunted by such company. Like Rodriguez, he has no concrete assurance of first-team football. Bayern Munich, whose players formed the framework of Germany’s World Cup-winning team, are less obviously dazzling than the Spanish clubs but this enduringly impressive side has added the coveted striker Robert Lewandowski to a squad whose strength extends from the world’s finest goalkeeper Manuel Neuer, through Bastian Schweinsteiger and on to Arjen Robben, Franck Ribery and Mario Gotze. So Real, Barcelona and Bayern are the finest teams in world and European football and such are their standards that only the very best are invited to join the magic circle. Hence the recruitment of Rodriguez, Suarez and Lewandowski. All three men want to play at the peak of the game. And when they turned their eyes to that peak, not a single English football club was in sight. Naturally, finance is a factor since such players and, more pertinently, their agents are never knowingly under-paid. But if it were merely a matter of money, then who could bring more to the table than Sheik Mansour at Manchester City, Roman Abramovich at Chelsea or the improbable Glazers at Old Trafford? No, there are other, less tangible, considerations, and the pursuit of excellence stands high among them. There comes a point where even extreme affluence is taken for granted, where status and satisfaction are the motivating factors. And currently, such aspirations cannot be fulfilled at English clubs. Consider the career path of some of those names. Bale and Modric moved from Spurs, Xabi Alonso, Mascherano and Suarez left Liverpool and Ronaldo departed Manchester United. Each man made the requisite noises of gratitude and regret but they did not delay their departures. For they now play on stages which deserve their talents and our loss is Europe’s gain. In three weeks the Premier League season will recommence; some would suggest it never really ceased, others, more impressionable, will be counting down the days. Irksome irrelevances like Test cricket and international track and field will be brusquely cast aside, while the delights of Stoke and Crystal Palace will be ardently embraced. Already, the hucksters of Sky Sports are babbling breezy promises of ‘the most eagerly- awaited Premier League season in years’, with ‘must-see shows’ in ‘stunning new studios’. And we prepare for month upon frenzied month of Super Sundays, Magic Mondays and bland platitudes uttered by dull men in sharp suits. Much of the football will be exciting, some will be enthralling, but all will be presented as the real thing, the genuine article, ‘the best league un the world’. And we know the claim to be a nonsense. We have known it for years but our convictions have been reinforced by the performance of the national team just a few weeks ago in Brazil. We may love the sport, for its faults as well as its many virtues. But we are tired of being lied to, year after year. For what we shall be watching, from late summer through to early spring, is something which falls several steps short of excellence. The finest expression of a glorious game is not to be found in these islands. Outstanding players like Suarez, Bale and Ronaldo know the truth of that statement. And so, deep down, do we. *Is premier league still the best in the world? The spanish liga has Barcelona and Real madrid the two biggest club in the world, but does this make them the la liga the best league in the world? Which in your opinion is the best league in the world? Share your thoughts and views with us. -sportsmail
Posted on: Mon, 28 Jul 2014 11:16:52 +0000
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