New Delhi: The English Premier League has been appointed as the world's best league by the IFFHS for the second time in a row, fending off competition from Serie A and La Liga.
The debate as to which league is the best in the world has long been a hot topic among football fans worldwide, with competition mainly between England, Spain, and Italy.
The IFFHS (International Federation of Football History and Statistics) released their annual report today, naming Barclay’s Premier League as world number one. This is largely due to last season’s Champions League, which was dominated by the English side throughout.
The shocking news is La Liga BBVA’s drop down to a massive fourth, a prospect that will not go down too well with Liga fans worldwide.
According to the IFFHS, the Spanish clubs did not have a competitive year on international fronts, doing poorly in the UEFA Champions League and UEFA Cup, as well as other competitions which are taken into consideration. This caused La Liga to drop 122 points less than the 2007 standings.
There is improvement in La Liga, however, as the domestic league is proving to be a close fought battle from 2nd place down to 9th. Should three of Villarreal, Atletico Madrid, Real Madrid, or Barcelona progress to the quarter-finals, the Liga standings are bound to improve for next year.
As for Italian Serie A, it managed an impressive second place after receiving the same amount of points as last year. The Serie A has been solid this year, with fresh competition and the introduction of youth players to several aging sides. The best example being Napoli, who have very wisely invested in a bundle of youth talent over the past couple of years.
Another surprise was that the Primera Division Argentina managed to become the third best league in the world, after achieving multiple successes in the CONEMBOL competitions of 2008.
The Netherlands Eredivisie is nowhere to be found, largely down to the fact that no Dutch clubs have done anything productive in Europe over the past year.
Whether the IFFHS is to be considered the legitimate judge as to what really is "The Best League in the World" is a debate on its own, because all football fans will side by their favored leagues, no matter what the IFFHS say. As to which really is the best league in the world, we will never know.
The IFFHS Top 10
1. Barclay’s Premier League (England)
2. Serie A (Italy)
3. Primera Division Argentina
4. La Liga BBVA (Spain)
5. Bundesliga (Germany)
6. Ligue 1 (France)
7. Brasileiro Serie A (Brazil)
8. Primera Division de Mexico
9. Liga Sagres (Portugal)
10. Ukraine Premier League
More from Goal.comSpanish debate: Can Arsene Wenger succeed at Real Madrid?La Liga reflections: Round 17Calcio canto: Alessandro Del Piero
Comments
0 comment