Hassan Chamas


Once upon a time, on the globe’s most well known island, there existed a very well acknowledged television series called the English Premier League. Housing iconic figures such as Reds legend Ian Rush, Alan Shearer, and Eric Cantona, the Premier League was the people’s drug, a showing so extravagant that it relegated “the Simpsons” to horse manure-like standing.

With total club revenue reaching an astronomical £1.93 billion as of 2007/08 – 8% of Lebanon’s global debt – England was every footballer’s’ Hollywood Boulevard. Ever since the country’s spiraling demise due to the repercussions of the Heysel Tragedy, a new operating system was much needed to fill in the gaps of the old and sagging league décor, and as such, a new scheme was put forward that allowed the embryonic organism to be financially sovereign of the English Football Association, granting it the freedom to choose its own broadcast and sponsorship agreements.

But the achievements do not end there. With the English pastime steadily increasing to becoming more and more transfer fees and signatures on the dotted line, fans do not turn in anymore just to witness a good’ ol Sunday bout, applaud, and go home as if nothing happened. They rather assemble at around-the-corner pubs, with a beer in one hand and a crunching fist in the other, ferociously shouting for Wayne Rooney to take a shot at it. Naturally, all of the above – par the alcoholic beverage – can be easily reproduced at St. James’ Park, or Old Trafford.

Sunny Portraits down South

The English Premier League will always be the English Premier League. Who of us would want to swap 90 minutes of Cristiano Ronaldo making one defender look foolish after another, for the retirement home that is Italian calcio? Oh but wait: Hasn’t he just been presented as Real Madrid’s newest Galactico? Wasn’t Brazilian ace Kaka presented a week earlier, in such a manner that people would think the Pope himself had just landed in Madrid?

Even with Kaka confirmed as the first signing of Florentino Perez’s second Blanco dynasty, this was not sufficient to shift the poise of power down south to sunny Spain. People always wanted to see the Brylcreamed player fire cannon balls against Arsenal, assisting with goals and passes, and shake his head in disbelief after Sir Alex Ferguson substituted him.

Yes, CR presented the English Premier League supporters in general and Mancunians in particular, with more than just the thrill of a match of football. The Portugal captain has his trashing of a brand new Ferrari 599 GTB Foriano – which cost “just” €237K – and reports of wild parties and intimate “confrontations” – he felt “at home” with Paris Hilton in Beverly Hills last month – to cap-off his already striking resume. Long story short, Ronaldo provided the x-factor, and his presence and displays alone made the Premier League a worker’s paradise. With him now leading the white revolution alongside Kaka and with the presence of 2009’s leading figure Lionel Messi playing for arch-rivals Barcelona, the image of these three players alone on a single pitch would make even the most ardent of La Liga haters turn on their TV. As if El Clasico even needed a pinch of that special “something”, too.

Premier League Finished?

So does that mean that mean that red supporters of North West England will now turn on their TV’s every Sunday to watch their boy-away-from home? That remains highly improbable, as the league that hosts Rio Ferdinand, Steven Gerrard and Robinho still has its fair quota of obsessive followers. Ronaldo might be the biggest Number 7, whose very departure broke hearts at the Theatre of Dreams, but if there’s one thing Man Utd’s history may have taught us – especially under the guidance of Ferguson – it’s that the Red Devils will always come back stronger. Just go through the departures of past players such as “King Eric”, Paul Ince, and David Beckham, and you’ll see that there is no room for ego in Ferguson’s dressing room, and that no player was bigger than the club.

Another fact consolidating this idea is that, despite La Liga attracting pheromones, and despite the hopeless attempt at reviving Serie A’s heart last summer, the simple fact of the matter is that at least one of England’s “Big Four” has made it to the Champions League final ever since its 2005 version – five successive editions. This alone dissolves any chance of doubt towards the prestige and level of play that England can be proud of: Man Utd made it last year and this one, Liverpool played Homer’s Iliad against AC Milan, with the Rossoneri proving to be the Trojan horse on the second occasion in 2007. Arsenal dared to dream and faced off against Barcelona 2006, capitulating in the dying minutes, while John Terry was a penalty kick away from awarding the Blues their first Champions League trophy.

What it comes down to is this: Barcelona and Real Madrid, for all their greatness, remain La Liga’s magnet, while Italian clubs have simply been a disaster in Europe’s elite club competition recently. England’s dominance doesn’t narrow to a certain player, but to the fact that the Premier League holds many a genuine rivalry. It’s this that has made them so strong in Europe, and with world-class players – both local and foreign – still on their books, and nobody is really foreseeing an end to their continental dominance.

Is Cash the Judge’s Mallet?

People might be talking about Florentino Perez’s construction site at Real Madrid, as he paid €219M – for just Ronaldo, Kaka, Raul Albiol and Karim Benzema – but the matter is that, money or not, the Premier League is still the world’s best league. Kakas and Ronaldos do not build a footballing community. No matter the amount, the bond that Premier League players share with the fans can never be generated elsewhere. “Esteban” Gerrard will never exist, but Steven Gerrard is Steven Gerrard, and will always be known as “Mr. Fantastic” for the Anfield faithful.

For his entire gentleman-like persona, and his portraying of the perfect professional – who he is, no doubt about that – Kaka was bought by Mr. Perez to complete two specific tasks: The first one is to sign shirts; the second is to win trophies. The Real president himself declared that he is building a project, not a football team. His priority is investment, not silverware.

It would be foolish to deny that England did not lose something in CR7’s departure to fulfill his boyhood dream, and that Italy did not lose its most talented player in Kaka. The money, coverage and worldwide attention that these two superstars alone will bring, in addition to a certain Leo Messi, is just priceless, a factor that will elevate La Liga to heavens so high it is impossible to picture. 40,000+ welcomed Kaka, and 80,000 lined up to catch a glimpse of  the current World Footballer of the Year. But Premier League fans shouldn’t worry that much: Even though Space Mountain remains the park’s oldest ride, it still has the longest queue.

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