7 Reasons Why The English Premier League is the Best Football League In The World

English Premier league Team Logos
English Premier league Team Logos

 

There are hundreds of professional leagues around the world, but none can claim to be as competitive or watched more than the English Premier League. The English top-flight has been home to some of the most talented players since its inception in 1992. The division’s success really has excelled with every passing season, and it has come a long way since Manchester United ended their long wait for a top-flight title in the first ever Premier League campaign.

Premier League tickets

That success continues to this modern day, with Liverpool ace Mohamed Salah reportedly in the running to win the Ballon d’Or. There is no division in world sport that comes close to the popularity of the Premier League, with fans tuning in every week to see how their team gets on. The drama, passion and skill on show ensures that the Premier League is the greatest sporting show on earth, and it has only continued to grow in popularity over the past 20 years or so. But, what are the seven reasons why the Premier League is the best football league in the world?

Josh Perry

published 11:31, 05 May 2022

1. The Unpredictability

The Premier League is unlike any other major league, as it is much more competitive. La Liga often sees the same two sides fighting for top spot, while Italy and Germany have long been dominated by Juventus and Bayern Munich. However, regaining a Premier League title is more testing. Only three teams in the history of the Premier League have been able to regain the title in the following season. Manchester United have achieved that feat the most amount of times, which includes two separate periods where they have won three titles on the bounce. Manchester City were the latest side to win back-to-back titles when they won their sixth top-flight crown at the end of the 2018-19 season.

 

The reason why it’s so hard to stay at the top of the mountain is down to the fact that any side can beat any other on their day. That was typically more evident throughout the 90s and 00s, as the points required to win the title was much lower. However, there have been a couple of examples that offer hope to sides that they can achieve the dream of winning the league title. None were more evident than Leicester City’s fairtytale to become Premier League champions in the 2015-16 season. In no other major European league would you see a club of their size win the title.

English Premier League

Drama unfolds throughout the season in the Premier League, as teams battle up and down the country looking for the three points to edge towards their goal. It isn’t just at the top where the focus is throughout the season, as the battle to stay in the Premier League often goes down to the final day. With the money involved in the English top-flight, there is more than just bragging rights at stake on a weekly basis, as players involved fight for the financial freedoms of staff members at the club that the Premier League brings. The tension towards the final weeks of the season is unmatched in any other top-flight league in Europe, and it makes for unmissable viewing no matter what team you support.

2. Dominance In Europe

The Premier League now houses the best teams in world football once again. For a period across the late 00s and early 10s, the Premier League was playing catch up to the leagues across Europe, especially the Spanish clubs. However, there now looks to be a clear divide between the teams from England and the rest of the world, with the finances in the Premier League more than playing their part in this factor. Back in 2019, history was made, as all four teams that were playing in a European final were from the same country. Tottenham Hotspur and Liverpool played out the Champions League final in the 2018-19 season, while Arsenal and Chelsea clashed in the Europa League final.

 

The dominance of Premier League sides was evident in the semi-finals that season, with Liverpool hammering Lionel Messi’s Barcelona 4-0, and Tottenham Hotspur came back from three goals down to beat Ajax. That dominance for the English teams have been dominant throughout the Champions League once again this season, as Liverpool saw off the Italian, Spanish and Portuguese champions on their way to the final. Manchester City also beat the French champions, PSG, while Chelsea ended the 2020-21 season by becoming the European champions. To prove matters even more so, the 2020-21 Champions League final was the second time in three seasons that the showpiece event had been an all-English affair.

3. Premier League Boasts The Best Players

Throughout the history of the Premier League, some of the best players have taken centre stage. That includes Thierry Henry during his time with Arsenal, where he was undeniably the best striker on the planet, as well as stars such as Eric Cantona, Alan Shearer and Didier Drogba. All four players were at one point in their career the best striker in the world.
However, the Premier League hasn’t been top heavy, as the league also boasted the best defenders. Defenders such as Rio Ferdinand, John Terry and Vincent Kompany have made competitive battles occur on a weekly basis. While La Liga can boast the highest number of Ballon d’Or winners from the top European leagues, it’s hard to find a better collection of the best players on the globe than the Premier League. Just some of the stars that have played in the Premier League previously can be seen below:

 

  • Cristiano Ronaldo
  • Frank Lampard
  • Steven Gerrard
  • Wayne Rooney
  • Patrick Vieira
  • Sergio Aguero
  • Paul Scholes

 

That is evident in this modern day too. That can be found as five of the top ten players in the Ballon d’Or list last year ply their trade in the Premier League. As well as that, the betting for the award next year features five players in the top ten when it comes to the highest personal accolade in the sport. There are few leagues in world football that can boast a wider pool of talent. Fans that are dazzled by dribbling will get to watch Mohamed Salah on a weekly basis, while those that love to see threaded passes and long shots on goal can watch in amazement at the skills of Trent Alexander-Arnold and Kevin De Bruyne. There are also defensive master classes on a weekly basis in the Premier League, as a number of the world’s best defenders play their football in the competition, including Liverpool ace Virgil van Djik and Manchester City’s superstar defender Ruben Dias.

Best Team In Premier League

There is no shortage of excellent teams in the Premier League, and at present, the league can proudly boast that they arguably have the two best sides on the planet in Manchester City and Liverpool. Few sides are as complete as the Premier League rivals, and you could easily make a dream team purely on the players in both squads. The battles between the two sides have captivated audiences around the world over, and that only looks set to continue with Pep Guardiola and Jurgen Klopp at the helms of the juggernauts.

 

This year’s title race has once again seen the sides push each other to new limits, and the title will be decided on the final day between the rivals. It will be the third time in Premier League history that the Reds and City will contest a final day scrap for the top prize, which only highlights how dominant the two sides have become in the Premier League. It can often be daunting for the other sides in contention, as it looks unlikely that they will be able to mount a title challenge given the knack of picking up points City and Liverpool have shown over recent seasons.

4. The World Is Watching

There isn’t a more global league than the Premier League, as the competition is watched in every corner of the world. That is something that other competitions in Europe struggle to compete with, as the La Liga’s viewing figures have diminished hugely following the departures of Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi in the past five or so years. However, the Premier League is still able to captivate the imagination of fans around the world even without a global star within the league. A number of reasons are down to that fact, but potentially the most important is the prestige of the clubs involved.

 

Every club involved in the Premier League has its own unique history, which stems back hundreds of years. Fans from around the world buy into this legacy, and quickly gravitate towards the teams that appeal to them most. Nowadays, the Premier League is broadcast live in around 643 million homes around the world across over 210 territories. That gives the English top-flight a potential TV audience of nearly five billion people. That isn’t just unique for football, but also sport in general. The only sporting events that can come close to that kind of pull are the Olympic Games and the World Cup. The Premier League really is in a league of its own when it comes to gaining fans from across the globe.

5. The Stadiums

One of the biggest issues than many fans have with competitions not just in Spain and Germany, but also when it comes to American competitions such as the NFL and NBA is the travel that comes with fixtures for the teams. However, that isn’t so much of an issue within the Premier League, as fans very rarely have to fly to a given fixture. The passionate fans will travel to distance of the country to watch their team play away from home, which can make for some extremely long journeys for fans of Newcastle United if they are playing a London-based team. However, all the stadiums in the country are perfect for fans, as they have seating areas for those that need to rest weary legs, and also a widely accessible disabled section no matter of the team that you support. Premier League stadiums are unique in the way that they are all as state-of-the-art as each other.

 

This is completely different from travelling to games across Europe, which often see away fans struggling for a good view of the game, or even having to travel hundreds of miles to see their favourite team play. Premier League stadiums also come with their only rich history, as long-time fans will remember seeing or visiting iconic stadiums such as Highbury and Upton Park. However, clubs have continued to move with the times to ensure that fans can have the best possible experience when watching the game, which also tailoring to the tourism market that is huge for Premier League fixtures throughout the season. No stadium in the Premier League looks out of place, and you can see the full list of Premier League stadiums ahead of the 2022-23 campaign below.

 

Team Stadium Capacity
AFC Bournemouth Vitality Stadium 11,329
Arsenal Emirates Stadium 60,260
Aston Villa Villa Park 42,785
Brentford Brentford Community Stadium 17,250
Brighton & Hove Albion AMEX Stadium 31,800
Burnley Turf Moor 21,944
Chelsea Stamford Bridge 40,834
Chrystal Palace Selhurst Park 25,456
Everton Goodison Park 39,414
Fulham Craven Cottage 25,700
Leeds United Elland Road 37,792
Leicester City King Power Stadium 32,312
Liverpool Anfield 53,394
Manchester City Etihad Stadium 53,400
Manchester United Old Trafford 74,140
Newcastle United St James’ Park 52,405
Southampton St Mary’s 32,384
Tottenham Hotspur Tottenham Hotspur Stadium 62,850
West Ham United London Stadium 60,000
Wolves Molineux Stadium 31,700

Most Successful English Football Club

One of the most contentious issues in English football is the question revolving around who is the most successful club. Depending on who you ask, you will be getting a different answer. Based purely on honours won in England, Manchester United are the most successful based in the country, as the Red Devils have won 58 major titles. They are also the most successful English club based on top-flight titles, as they have won a record 20 during their history, with the majority of those coming under the legendary Sir Alex Ferguson. However, Liverpool are just one behind the Red Devils, as their first ever Premier League title was their 19th league success.

 

However, in total, the Reds have won 53 English honours. But, if you include Europe titles, then Liverpool are the most successful, as they have won 67 major honours compared to the 66 that have been picked up by Manchester United. Arsenal are the third most successful team in English football, as they have won 48 major honours. Meanwhile, Chelsea, Manchester City and Tottenham Hotspur round off the top five most successful English football clubs in history. In total, 24 teams have win the top-flight English title. Other clubs to have won the top division before the Premier League was formed include Sunderland, Aston Villa, Everton and Nottingham Forest.

6. TV Coverage & Money

Few leagues in world sport can claim to be as productive as the Premier League when it comes to the finances. The history of the Premier League is based on the financial blueprint as we know it today, as the division was formed as a breakaway league to take advantage of the money that broadcaster Sky wanted to pump into the English game. The money has continue to come every season since, as it was reported in 2019 that Sky and BT paid a reported £3.1 billion per year in order to broadcast games. These broadcasters would get a different number of games, with Sky having 128 exclusively live fixtures, with BT getting 32 games throughout the season.

You would be able to go anywhere in the world and watch Premier League fixtures, as it is broadcast on some of the biggest companies on the planet.

Coverage in the United States is found on NBC Sports, which reportedly cost them £2 billion in November 2021 as they signed another six-year extension. However, Premier League games are also broadcast around the world on channels such as Sky Sport in Germany, Austria and Italy, Super Sport in Africa and Canal+ in France. However, one of the staples from British fans that have grown up watching the Premier League is Match of the Day. It has become tradition for fans to sit down in front of the television in the UK and watch the highlights programme, which has been in operation since 1965. It has proudly been the home of Premier League highlights since 2004, with Gary Linekar hosting and Alan Shearer and Ian Wright giving their views on the action.

7. The Rivalries

In order for any competition to flourish there is a need for rivalry. The Premier League is no different and we have been blessed with some famous narratives throughout the seasons in years gone by. The very first came back in the 90s as Manchester United and Newcastle United clashed for the league title. One of the most infamous quotes in Premier League history was claimed by Kevin Keegan as he said: “I would love it if we beat them”, only for the Toon to blow their best chance at winning the league title. Soon after that arrived Arsene Wenger, which led to a bitter rivalry between Arsenal and Manchester United, which saw the title passed around between the sides between 1996 and 2004. It was one of the most intense rivalries that we have seen in the history of sport, with every fixture between the sides seeming like a battle between the death.

Jose Mourinho’s arrival signalled the end of the United/Arsenal title clashes, as the Blues were the main protagonists to Sir Alex Ferguson’s side. Once again, United saw off Mourinho, before the money came flowing at Manchester City. City would have their day in the sun at the end of the 2011-12 season, but Fergie would get his revenge as he signed off with a 20th title for United in 2013. Nowadays, it’s the rivalry between Liverpool and City that forms the narrative to follow throughout the league seasons, as the two sides battle for dominance in every corner of the pitch.

However, those aren’t the only rivalries throughout the season, as derby fixtures are always the first that fans look towards when the fixtures are released. Manchester United’s huge showdowns with Liverpool, Manchester City and Leeds United are always blockbuster affairs, while the Reds also have their own rivalry with cross-city neighbours Everton. Newcastle United’s rivalry with Sunderland is also one of the best throughout the Premier League era, but none are filled with more hatred than the ones pitting together Midlands’s rivals Aston Villa and Birmingham City. There are moments throughout the season in the biggest rivalry showdowns, which has only helped the Premier League become what it is in this modern era.

How Many Games Are Played in the Premier League

The start of every new Premier League season brings with it hopes and dreams, as fans dare to believe that they could potentially do a Leicester and be crowned champions at its conclusion. However, the season is a marathon and not a sprint, which often means that there are no excuses should a team drop into the second tier, or your chosen side gets beaten to the title by the narrowest of margins. Every season, 380 fixtures are played in the Premier League, with each of the 20 sides playing against each other on two occasions. Teams play both at home and away against each side.

The Premier League campaign gets underway annually in September, with the final day of the season taking place in late May. Every team involved will be hoping to achieve their dreams for the season, but there is always disappointment within some ranks. It’s the Premier League and there’s nothing that comes close to it anywhere in the world.

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