Time and time again people talk about the top three leagues in Europe: Italy, Spain and England. But is there now a real candidacy for number four?
Germany has never been a small footballing nation. Internationally they’ve been there or there abouts since the start of the modern footballing timeline but recently their club football has been languishing behind somewhat.
The Bundesliga has often been compared to English football, drawing fewer comparisons with the slow, crafted Mediterranean style and more with the quick nature of the Premiership. In the early nineties the English Premier League took off – Italian and Spanish teams were already in a position of authority but Germany were left behind.
The nineties saw Germany as a country that not only exported beer and cars, but also football players. Klinsman, the country’s top striker played for Inter Milan and then Tottenham Hostpur, Andreas Moller for Juventus and of course Rudi Voller at Roma.
Bayern Munich, always a threat in the eyes of Europe, have solemnly been complimented by other German teams in the Champions League. Borussia Dortmund, the only other winners of the Champions League from Germany have seen little Europe glory since they beat Juventus in the 1997 final and although exciting, Klaus Toppmöller’s Bayer Leverkusen only enjoyed temporary success.
Nearly twenty years later and German teams finally seem to be turning the corner. The clubs’ openness to the involvement of investors has shown the pragmatic nature of the German psyche – one in which Spanish and Italian clubs will be quick to criticise but would be foolish to ignore. Coupled with the financial prowess of the German clubs there are also markets opening up in Eastern Europe of which they have tapped especially well into – the Bosnian league a prime example.
One thing that has always played to the German’s advantage is the interest that football generates in their country. The 2006 World Cup was a resounding success – they’re a country set up for football.
The statistics support this – Germany boast the highest attendances in world football with an average of 38,975, slightly above the Premier League (36,076) and far ahead of La Liga (29,124) and Serie A (23,180) – the stats are compelling and are reason enough for some people to believe that the Bundesliga is already in the top three leagues in Europe.
The 2008/2009 season has produced two German semi finalists in the UEFA Cup and Bayern Munich returned to the Quarter Finals – derailed by the mighty Barcelona. Some may scoff that neither of these are great achievements but when you look at Italy’s contribution then it’s not only the rise of Germany but the demise of Italy that may contribute to a top three becoming a top four.
The Bundesliga also boast undeniable excitement. A new team could be top of the league each week; Hoffenheim had an early charge, and Hamburg seem to be flourishing under Martin Jol. Add that to the entertainment the current table topping Wolfsburg supply – as demonstrated by their 5-1 thrashing of Munich – and there’s clearly something to get exciting about.
The one thing that could be holding the Bundesliga back is the lack of big name players. Can people look past this? Probably not – Europe may look affectionately towards the German league but few fear any potential revolution. Even if Germany do start to turn heads in Europe they will then have to tap into global markets to compete with the cream of Europe – they’ve done it with beer and cars – can they do it with football?
Good article, the thing though that I like most about German football is that the fans are considered the most important people involved. Not the players, or clubs, or owners, or television companies, or sponsors. Every Bundesliga game is shown on network television with a far higher quality than anything in the UK, sometimes delayed, tickets start from as little as €5. Add into that the great beers and food on offer at the grounds and it’s almost like a football fan’s utopia.
You mention the lack of star players, but I tend to think about that in a different way. If a player who is playing well for Hoffenheim say, moves and plays well for Inter or Manchester United then he’d be considered a star player probably. On the whole you’re maybe right that the quality is a step below the top clubs elsewhere in Europe but the step is getting smaller quickly.
Also, what do people make of the two German clubs in the UEFA Cup semi-finals? Does that mean that the middle tier of German clubs is superior to the English, Spanish or Italian equivalent?
Posted by Steve Atkinson | 30 April, 2009, 09:55I think with the star players issue – maybe “famous” would be a better word, as you can be a star anywhere but unless lots of people know about you then you’re not famous or as famous as say Premier League stars.
I dont think the middle tier of the Bundesliga is better than the other three leagues, simply because it doesn’t look like the German league has a middle tier at the moment, not a well defined one anyway. Maybe this will sort itself out in the next couple of years, but Steve, as you reported a while back, there was about 8 or 9 teams in the running to win the league. Maybe that’s something missing as well – the recognition of who the top teams are so people can make sure they look out for them more often.
Posted by Steven Jones | 1 May, 2009, 11:01Fame is a difficult thing to measure I’d say, certainly the Premier League reaches a wider audience outside it’s shores than the Bundesliga does.
I think that the fact that there is no defined top 3 or 4 makes the league improve it’s strength in ways the Premier League for instance doesn’t. As you point out, there were 8 or 9 teams that had a realistic shot at pressing for the league at the turn of the year. Each of those teams are of the ability of an upper mid table English side such as Everton or West Ham or Aston Villa.
So it seems to me that they have a similar standard of league to the English Premier, with the exception of the top 4 who are a cut above the rest of Europe. Certainly the German teams have fared better than the Spanish and Italian teams in the UEFA Cup.
Posted by Steve Atkinson | 1 May, 2009, 14:54The Bundesliga has provided some great excitement this season. Although I don’t really follow German football I can’t help but keeping a close eye on what’s going on at the top. Nice article by the way.
Posted by Marzia Hazra | 4 May, 2009, 19:00