In World Football, two leagues dominate. They dominate in standards of play, their ability to attract players and their excitement. “Excitement”, Gareth Bale claims, is something that La Liga is currently in the lead for, recently stating that with the emergence of new World Class talent being brought into the league, La Liga is now more exciting than the Premier League. The question that needs answering of course, is; does he have a point?
In La Liga the two heavyweights of Spanish football, for now what seems like an eternity are unquestionably Real Madrid and Barcelona. Next season both teams will boast arguably the six strongest attacking players the world of football has to offer, including Bale and new signings shared equally amongst the teams, James Rodriguez and the unmistakable and controversial Luis Suarez. The strongest in Spain, therefore, only seem to be getting stronger. It would be wrong not to mention the powerful performance of Atletico Madrid last year, ending the perhaps mundane two horse race the League usually consists of. However their emergence, over the course of recent history at least, is nothing more than a drop in the ocean in changing the course of Spanish football’s rulers. Even if Atletcio are put into the equation, Spanish football still seems to suffer from an unhealthy imbalance in standard of play, financial distribution and yes, maybe even “excitement” in the lower end of the league.
The Premier League title race is an entirely different affair to that of Spain. With the elimination of the old top four, a fundamentally progressive aspect to improve excitement in English football, the race for the Premier League is as hard to call as ever. Last year, 4 teams at various points during the season mounted a serious title challenge, with another 3 battling it out with a hope of gaining the elusive and all important Champions League spot. To directly compare with La Liga, between 3rd and 4th place in the 2013/2014 season, the Premier League had a marginal 3 point gap and La Liga an extensive 17 point gap. It may not be everyone’s desire to see a close top end of the table, but for most it offers a more fulfilling and immersive League if several teams are competitively contesting at the top.
The Televison money set aside for each league is also a hugely important aspect to look at. Many were shocked to see the reality of the situation in the 2012/2013 season and the complete imbalance in TV money being allocated to each team. In the 2012/2013 season Real Madrid and Barcelona respectively, were given around £140m each. Next closest (closest seeming the wrong word in this scenario) were Atletico Madrid on £42m. Now bring in the Premier League for the same year. Atop of the list of teams were Manchester United on £60.8 million and last, not second, last were QPR on £39.75 million. To put that in perspective the gap between first and second in La Liga amounts to nearly £100m (£98 million to be exact). The gap between first and last in the Premier League just over £21 million. Despite Atletico coming into the picture last year, Spanish football is suffering an exponential disparity financially like no other league.
TV rights and the distribution of money being disproportionally spread out may not translate into lack of excitement and the Premier League being the better league. However, it does show supply for demand, something which will only increase with players on offer in El Clasico next season. These statistics only go further to show the achievement of Atletico last season but again show just how difficult and most probably rare their success was. Realistically with so little less to spend on players, other teams simply are not given the allowance it takes to truly compete with the Spanish elite. Is it really good for Spanish football as a whole, that since 2009 Real Madrid have spent €724.000.000 on new players? In mine and I’d hope many other rational football fans opinion, it is not.
Despite these alarming figures, Premier League clubs like Manchester City are hardly spending pocket money in their transfer dealings. Overall it depends on personal preference. If you want see a league with a less competitive edge as a whole, but with certainly the best players in the World, La Liga may come out ahead. If, however, you want to see a League with several teams battling it out at the top, quality players balanced between them and a tighter yet still more unpredictable league, the Premier League wins.
Gareth Bale is not alone in suggesting that La Liga may have some finer qualities than the Premier League. Many players who have left for England for Spain have spoke of their admiration for their new-found footballing home. Spain’s national team may have found difficulty in the World Cup, but the Spanish league certainly looks to be improving year on year. It may at his stage be too early to draw a direct comparison making the argument that it’s better than the Premier League, but in years to come, with stricter financial regulations and a more balanced league, the leagues may have the same level of attraction for fans. For now though, it seems England’s top division remains the most desirable, well thought of and prestigious league to participate in.
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