Soccer Primer Part One: Top Leagues

Soccer Primer: A Guide for the Rest of Us

Part One: Breaking down the top leagues in the world

The world of soccer is broken down into so many leagues, has so many competitions, both domestic and international, and has so many players that keeping track of everything is virtually impossible. That said, unless you’re an absolute diehard with a vested interest in a certain club, there’s really no reason an American would want to follow, for example, Chesterfield FC, a small English club that plays in Football League Two, basically the equivalent of a Single A baseball team. Most fans will follow the best of the best, and while there are dozens upon dozens of leagues, a small number clearly stand out as the best.

There’s a general consensus that there are three leagues that separate themselves from the rest of the world, in terms of both popularity and talent. And sorry, diehard US soccer fans, but the MLS doesn’t make the cut (I don’t mean to rag on the MLS that much – it really isn’t horrible soccer. But it’s not even close to the other three, at least not yet.)

1. England – Premier League
The Barclays Premier League in England has surpassed Spain’s La Liga as the…ahem…premier league in the world. Yes, Barcelona dismantled Manchester United in this year’s Champion’s League final, but top to bottom, the Premier League is still ahead of La Liga. Look no further than the last two Champions League semifinals (more on that in part two of my primer), in which three of the final four have come from the top league in England. The Premier League’s popularity has skyrocketed in recent years, and the resulting revenue passing through the teams (especially the top teams in the league), along with new investors and owners pumping ungodly amounts of cash into their team’s budgets (see: Chelsea, Manchester United, and most recently Manchester City), the teams can afford to entice the best players in the world to come play in England, as well as keeping homegrown talent in the country. The resulting influx in talent and overall exposure to the outside world has allowed the Premier League to cement its status as the best league in the world.

The biggest knock on the EPL is that it is very top-heavy. The lack of a salary cap in soccer means that the richest teams can just buy the best players in the world (see: the New York Yankees). Ever since the EPL was formed in 1992, 16 of the 17 titles have been won by, count em, three teams – Arsenal, Chelsea and Manchester United. Only Blackburn’s unlikely run in the 1994-95 season – in which they beat Manchester United by one point in the final standings – has another team taken the title. There is a “Big Four” in the EPL, which includes Arsenal, Chelsea, Manchester United and Liverpool. Although Liverpool haven’t won a title since the EPL was formed, they have had 18 top-flight titles in their existence, tied for the most (with Man Utd) for the most titles in English history. These four teams nearly always make up the top four in the final standings of the Premier League.

Top Teams: Arsenal, Chelsea, Liverpool, Manchester United
Notable Players: Cristiano Ronaldo (Manchester United), Steven Gerrard (Liverpool), Wayne Rooney (Man U), Cesc Fabregas (Arsenal), Fernando Torres (Liverpool), Frank Lampard (Chelsea), Nicolas Anelka (Chelsea), Robinho (Manchester City), Robin van Persie (Arsenal), Roque Santa Cruz (Blackburn), Peter Crouch (Portsmouth), Theo Walcott (Arsenal), Robbie Keane (Tottenham)

2. Spain – La Liga
Spain’s La Liga is a close second to the EPL for best league bragging rights. It really isn’t that La Liga has gotten worse over the past few years – the EPL has just gotten better. They still play top-class soccer in Spain. The league is dominated by two teams – Barcelona and Real Madrid, names that are instantly recognizable around the world. Those two teams have combined to win the last five La Liga titles and 50 titles overall since the league was founded in 1929. However, unlike the EPL, there is a little more disparity after that. While the Big Two consistently finish high in La Liga, there are seemingly always other teams realistically challenging them for the title. La Liga has not been as financially sound as the EPL has been, which is part of the reason why it’s struggled to buy, and more importantly, keep its best players. The financial crisis has hit Valencia particularly hard. This once proud franchise is on the verge of bankruptcy, and went a few months during the season without paying its players. It’s holding an all-out firesale this offseason on nearly all of their top (read: highest paid) players, including David Villa and David Silva, both of whom are rumored to be heading to the Premier League.

Top Teams: Barcelona, Real Madrid, Sevilla, Valencia (for the time being, at least), Atletico Madrid, Villareal
Notable Players: Samuel Eto’o (Barcelona), Lionel Messi (Barcelona), David Villa (Valencia), Diego Forlan (Atletico Madrid), Raul (Real Madrid), Thierry Henry (Barcelona), Iker Casillas (Real Madrid), Xavi (Real Madrid), David Silva (Valencia), Sergio Aguero (Atletico Madrid), Sergio Ramos (Real Madrid), Andres Iniesta (Barcelona)

3. Italy – Serie A
There is a noticeable, although not overly drastic, drop-off in quality between the EPL and La Liga and the rest of the world. At the top of the next tier is Italy’s Serie A, which is home to some of the most storied and successful clubs in the world. The biggest problems facing the leagues outside of the ELP and LL is keeping its best homegrown players in the country. Countries such as Italy, France and Germany consistently have the top national teams in the world, so there is plenty of talent within the borders. And, especially in the case of Italy, many of the country’s top players will stay home to play in Serie A. But often they lack the money or prestige to draw in top foreign players, relative to the EPL and LL. This, and the general conception (fair or not) that Serie A plays boring, drawn-out, ultra-defensive football that doesn’t appeal to the average fan, has kept Serie A from gaining popularity around the world.

Top Teams: Inter Milan, AC Milan, Juventus, Roma
Notable Players: Kaka (AC Milan), Ronaldinho (AC Milan), Zlatan Ibrahimovic (Inter Milan), Marco Di Vaio (Bologna), Alessandro Del Piero (Juventus), Francesco Totti (Roma)

Germany’s Bundesliga and France’s Ligue 1 are close behind Serie A in terms of quality and popularity, but the Big Three are clearly ahead of the pack. A good majority of the world’s top players play in these top three leagues, and nearly all of them play in the top five when you count in Germany and France’s top leagues. Next, I’ll take a look at the top competitions in the world of soccer, both domestic and international.