The Rise of the “Lesser Leagues"
Is the football paradigm shifting?
The top 5 leagues in the world have been established for a short while now. Everybody knows England, Italy, Spain, Germany and France are the main leagues which guarantee more eyes are on you, and are also the most lucrative. But in recent years, other countries have attempted to promote their own leagues and are trying to sneak into the winner’s circle. Here, I will look, in order of year, at some of the top attempts to shift the emphasis away from Europe.
USA
Whilst it may not be the number one sport in the country, “Soccer” has witnessed some substantial growth in the United States in the last 30 years. What began with Pele in the 70s and continued with the 1994 World Cup hosted in the States, has turned into an emerging highly viewed league. The sport is now more popular in this country than baseball amongst those below 30, and this has to do with the level of talent that is arriving on their shores.
As well as their own burgeoning talents coming through at youth level, the league has welcomed some large named stars, such as David Beckham and Thierry Henry, which has meant more interest is being shone on the Beautiful Game. This was due to a rule change, known as the Designated Player Rule, which meant clubs could sign foreign players considered outside their wage cap. Now, with the arrival of one of the greatest players of all time, Lionel Messi, this seems like another step to progressing the league even further.
Russia
Despite the potential political conflicts the country has with the western world, and their intolerance to certain different groups of people, Russia certainly looked to promote their league to this demographic for a large period of time. In between approximately 2009 and 2013, some of the largest transfers in the league’s history happened, attracting some big name stars, such as Hulk and Samuel Eto’o.
Whilst this has certainly took a back seat in recent years, the competition still seems capable of attracting some hot prospects working in Europe, such as Nikola Vlasic and Malcom.
China
Before the rise of the Saudi league this summer, China was arguably the biggest growth in market out of any leagues on this list, and arguably the most threatening to Europe’s dominance. Receiving global ambassadors in David Beckham and Paul Nedved, and receiving foreign professionals referees like Mark Clattenburg, meant the league was a much more legitimate prospect. This is despite China’s obsession with the NBA and America’s whole basketballing culture.
Specifically starting in 2015 and peaking in 2019, the league attracted some top talent, including two of the Premier League’s best Brazilian players, Oscar and Paulinho. Even some other top rated talent, such as Hamsik and Arnautovic, made their way to China. Despite the rules introduced in 2019 which means only 4 foreign players can be registered to a team at one time, owners have found ways to circumvent this rule. Because of the high wage possibilities being offered, some players have changed their nationality to Chinese, in order to adhere to the rules. Former Arsenal Player Yennaris gave up his British citizenship and instead registered as a Chinese citizen, even changing his legal name.
Since the Covid-19 pandemic, the league has struggled financially, but don’t be surprised to see it back and stronger in the next few years.
Japan
Japan may not be a country which is famed for organised team sports, but football is something which is a particularly interesting area. Despite not being famed for having the most competitive leagues, the talent produced in this country in the last 20 years, including Keisuke Honda, Shinji Kagawa and Takehiro Tomiyasu are impressive for a country who’s most popular sport is baseball.
In terms of trying to make their league more appealing to a world audience, the arrival of Andres Iniesta was arguably their biggest ploy. Whilst it has not led to the boom that was probably anticipated and hoped for, it may still lead to a larger trend in future years.
Qatar
Probably one of the largest competitors in the growing market of attracting investors to a football league to Saudi Arabia is the Qatari League. Ignoring the large controversy and human righs failures during the lead up to their hosting of the World Cup in 2022, the country is looking to move onto the footballing map, attracting large names in the last couple of years, including James Rodriguez and Toby Alderweireld, who were still competing at a decent level.
In the last 18 months, the league, like many on this list, is trying to avoid the obligatory “retirement league” stereotypes, by signing stars under the age of 30, to show their league can attract hot western prospects.
Saudi Arabia
Now, for the reason for my article. Any football fan who checks the news will know of the major coup currently being undertaken in Saudi Arabia in regards to major signings. It started with Ronaldo last year, and this is now arguably the most ambitious minor league takeover in history. Major European sides are missing out on targets to teams most people have never heard of. Roberto Firmino, a player who is only 31 and still a top talent, joined Al-Ahli Saudi FC over European Juggernaut AC Milan. Similarly, serial winners, such as Karim Benzema and N’golo Kante, are among the many incomings the league has seen.
Many are wondering whether this will lead to a domino effect. The more high profile players who head to Saudi, the more players will see it as a viable option. Not only will average players be able to play with former greats like Koulibaly and Brozovic, but they will also receive a major payday. It is potentially damaging to the European model, however, as it means more emerging talents will leave the countries which have the best coverage.
