For many football fans, the English Premier League (EPL) is the best football league in the world due to how it has attracted some of the world’s greatest and most skilled players – despite the relatively dismal English climate – as well as fostering considerable home-grown talent.
Here are just five reasons why the EPL has generated such a huge following globally over the years and is loved by fans in footballing nations around the world.
The EPL pays some of the biggest salaries in the game
Today, in 2020, three of the world’s highest-paid players and greatest talents play in the English Premier League:
Manchester United’s David de Gea: Coming in at tenth in the list of top ten earning football players globally through the year is Spanish goalkeeper, David de Gea. In 2020, de Gea had total earnings of $27 million collated from a $24 million wage and $3 million additionally coming from endorsements and sponsorships.
Manchester United’s Paul Pogba: French professional midfielder, Paul Pogba, earned $34 million over the last year making him the sixth-richest player globally in 2020. Pogba’s earnings were made up from a salary of $28 million combined with a respectable $6 million in endorsements and sponsorships.Pogba joins a long list of French professionals to make a name for themselves in the EPL.
Liverpool’s Mohamed Salah: Through the last year, Egyptian forward player, Mo Salah, has had total earnings of $37 million comprised of a $24 million salary and $13 million in endorsements. He is ranked as the world’s fifth highest-earning player in 2020.
2020 is far from the exception when it comes to the EPL being able to attract the world’s greatest and highest-earning players. You can see further information and wages of the stars who have played in the league over the years in this excellent feature on the Cash Lady website which details the best players over the years.
The EPL gave a first-ever, four teams from one nation European Cup Finals
In 2019, for the first time ever, four teams from the same nation featured in both major European Cup Finals – being Liverpool, Spurs, Arsenal and Chelsea – showing the strength and depth of talent in the English game.
The EPL frequently features top international talent
Year on year, the EPL attracts footballers from around the world, many of them improving their game and learning new skills in the League. For example, in the Euro 2012 Championships, nearly 20% of all the players played their weekly football in the EPL – a total of 74 players as compared to 48 players from the Bundesligain Germany, 32 from La Liga in Spain and 31 players from Serie A in Italy. The EPL is also a constant draw for the world’s greatest managers.
Foreign owners and EPL teams
While it can sometimes cause controversy amongst fans, there is a constant stream of foreign wealthy buyers queuing up to buy a stake in the English game owning, which most teams within the division being owned by an international investor.
England is the birthplace of the modern game
The first official recorded game of football took place in England back in 1863 – though there are references of a game similar in style in the journal entries of William FitzStephen dating back to 1170. It seems somewhat apt that the birthplace of the modern game should also feature a league widely-regarded as being the best in the world.