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No Longer are the Streets of Spain and Italy Paved with Gold

In 2001 a certain Zinedine Zidane moved from Juventus to Real Madrid for the highest transfer fee to date. Madrid paid £40.6m for his services, eclipsing the record set the previous year for Luis Figo’s move from Barcelona to Real Madrid for £38.7m. But with Real Madrid, Barcelona and an ageing AC Milan all underperforming in this year’s Champions League, many are looking to the English Premiership as the pinnacle of club football. Mathieu Flamini left Arsenal for AC Milan this summer, possibly hoping of great things but leaving a club who nearly won the premiership and outclassed Milan in Europe to beat them 2-0 to move to a club who failed to even qualify for the Champions League for the 08/09 season, one wonders what made him leave. Thierry Henry moved to Barcelona and has so far been a shadow of his former self, Michael Owen failed to impress at their rivals. Ruud van Nistelrooy and David Beckham both breathed new life into their careers by moving to Real Madrid, but the Spanish and Italian teams’ failure in the biggest of stages for club football this year is cause for concern.

The Champions League was dominated by English teams this season as Manchester United, Chelsea, Liverpool and Arsenal all announced their arrival on the world stage as for the first time all four were better than the foreign teams they faced.  And it looks set to continue, with “the big four” strengthening their sides in the transfer market and the managers expressing their belief in their teams, the big three contenders from across the water ought to be wary. Alex Ferguson’s side enter the Champions League as favourites at 11/2 on football betting website Blue Square, with Chelsea at 15/2, Liverpool at 11/1 and Arsenal at 12/1. Barcelona’s new coach, Pep Guardiola, has sold Deco to Chelsea and said that Samuel Eto’o and Ronaldinho are surplus to requirements at the Nou Camp.  At least one of them appears to be changing things with an eye to restoring their club to its former level of achievement.

Real Madrid and AC Milan have so far failed to do any significant dealings in the transfer market with Madrid supposedly assuming that signing Manchester United’s Ronaldo will be the end to all their problems and Milan looking to rely on their ageing talent once again next season. Gone are the days where players would jump at the opportunity to move to Spain or Italy to ply their trade.  No longer are premiership teams losing out to the big boys of the continent.  Instead, players are now looking to move to the English top tier and with investment in the league growing and the teams always improving, it will take a lot for teams such as Real Madrid, Barcelona and AC Milan to regain their status as the kings of European club football.