I'm creating this thread as it's something that "burns" today's football, and I couldn't find a recent similar topic. The point is simple. Football has gone downhill but due to marketing but since it's become a product, the demand has risen! People have become sheep in football as well. You tell them Heskey is the best striker in Europe, half the world believes that at the same second. You tell them that the English league is the best, they believe it and start watching English football.
Those who followed football since the mid 90s at least know what I'm talking about. Probably this is the outcome of the Bosman rule?(I'll come back to this since FIFA will abandon it after the South African World Cup as they declared) Was it due to happen? Ever since the establishment of football, there have been various eras. 1950s it was all about Real Madrid, then Eusebio with his Benfica, Herrera with his Inter, then attack-minded Celtic, followed by Ajax etc. It is not hard to tell that we are going through an English domination era, just like the early 80s. That's not much of a problem for football fans. What the problem is, is that teams lack talent. We are in a world that considers Cristiano Ronaldo the best player in the world, even if imo he wouldn't make thestarting lineup in top teams back in the late 90s, or at least he would have been one of eleven and not the player to watch. Ever since the "fall of Ronaldo(fenomeno)", I can honestly say that I have not seen players replace the former best adequately. I used Ronaldo as back in 2005 or 2006 that he became a joke due to his excessive weight, the only player that can claim a place in football's hall of fame(talentwise) is Lionel Messi.
There were times where players like Batistuta, Vieri, Crespo, Veron, Djorkaeff, Zidane, Del Piero, Ronaldo, Rivaldo, Cantona, Stoichkov, Bierhoff, Figo, Klinsmann, Matthaus and many others that have no one to resemble them roamed the football fields. Players that were recognised for being versatile, tireless etc like Simeone, Rui Costa, Cocu, Davids, the de Boer twins would now be considered among world's best, while back then they were simply very good. Point is that with today's lack of talent, very good players are considered world's best and players that are above average are portrayed as top class(eg Lampard). What is it that ruined football? And please don't tell me that nothing's wrong. Look at the quality of past international competitions, and look at them now. Teams lack superstars they had in the past.
Is the Bosman rule to blame? Ever since the introduction of this, people(including fans) started to think more about money than about the sport. Did this demotivate players from playing their best, or is it completely another thing. Money catalysed the shift of domination far too rapidly I believe. It made teams with top players like Lazio, Roma, Parma, Fiorentina and some others weaker due to debts, and gave the English too much economic power. I am of the opinion that football in England did become stronger over the years, and smaller teams did improve, but it's still not top level football that they play. Even financially torn Italian and German football provide better football in their games in my view. Bosman rule made footballers more free to move, but it made football more money dependant. I'm not sure of how many of you heard this, but Blatter said he will dismiss it when Ireland agrees with the other 26 Eu members on it. That will make 6+5 effective after a few years time, and probably football will be somehow restored, but it'kll be still about the money in places like England. Overall, as it seems, I'm of the opinion that money ruins talents. Big teams poach young stars too early, before they are ready to play at big stage, and also smaller teams cannot improve and thus competition is less.
If you are still finding it difficult to agree, just think of who today's top players are, and who it was back in the 90s, or back in the 80s. Out of every possible list, here are only a few that would make it in past generations, and probably only a few of the past players that wouldn't make on our time.
Upon thinking on this, which I do quite a lot during football matches, I had the idea that I was too sentimental on the 90s era as I was more happy to watch games and it was my first memories of football, and I also don't like football's present. But I had many conversations about it, and people that actually followed back in the 90s(at least) agree 100% on this.
Sorry about the long post![]()