the best league in the world?...

The debate continues over which league is the best league in the world. However not everyone can agree to what factors matter when deciding.

It maybe the quality of football, how entertaining it is, or which league contains the best players and all these link to value for money. What I notice is that there isn't a league in the world that can claim their best for each category. Lets break it down.

1. Entertainment- Now this leads to the question what makes a league more entertaining? I think pace, how competitive each match is and also the quality of football being played.

I don't think there is any doubt that when it comes to entertainment the Bundesliga is right up there. Quick paced like the Premier League but a better quality of football with more technical ability on display. This ticks almost all the boxes for entertainment.

No doubt that La liga has some fantastic football throughout the league rivaled by no other league and for the majority the games are competitive. Besides the top 2 the league is quite competitive aswell. It is also relatively quick paced.

The Premier League is a very fast paced league and the games are almost always competitive even when it comes to the top teams. The quality of football is up for debate, personally I don't think it is up there with the best. If you compare the recent Man United vs Arsenal tie with El clasico, it just doesn't come close. However it was a lot more competitive.

2. Talent on display- Is the best league in the world simply the one which attracts the best players? Or is this just a small factor in a bigger picture?

La Liga in the last couple of years has surpassed the Premier League when it comes to attracting the best players. More and more are preferring life in sunny Spain than England. The 3 finalists for this year's Ballon D'or are from La Liga, then you have the likes of Cristiano Ronaldo, Benzema (who both chose Real Madrid over staying or moving to Man United), Villa, Kaka... the list just goes on.

Italy used to be a popular destination for star players, but although there are still some like Ibrahimovic and Sneijder it has fallen behind in the past decade. As for the Bundesliga they have their own to shout about, but like Serie A it falls short in comparison to the Premier League and La Liga.

3. Value for Money- An important factor which is fed by the talent on display and the entertainment.

The Premier League is often criticised for its prices and probably rightly so. You watch matches from leagues like La Liga, Bundesliga and sometimes even the lower leagues in England you wonder why the prices are so high.

Borussia Dortmund are currently top in Germany yet a ticket in the Yellow Wall, the biggest stand in the world, costs on average only £13.This kind of pricing leads to the highest average attendance for a football league and the 3rd highest of all sports at 41,904.

So I don't think there is any doubt here that Bundesliga is the best value for money.

4.Best Teams- Who has the consistently best teams up and down the league? the quality of the teams must be a factor.

La Liga's top 2 are undoubtedly better than any top 2 in  Europe. The standard of the Premier League is in decline, so the top teams just don't seem as threatening. As for the Bundesliga that has been turned on its head this season, and its not the only league.

However if you look up the down the leagues in each it becomes complicated. Is the Europa League an indication of who has the best teams just below the top 3 or 4? I think so and for that reason in my opinion Spain and Germany beat England.

But possibly the mid-table teams are better, or they seem it because they give a good go at the top teams, however that could be another indication on top teams becoming less difficult to beat. Tough one to answer but I think overall Spain wins in the quality of teams catergory.

So to conclude I think it is down to opinion. Is it entertainment? then what entertains you. For me if you're going for entertainment then the Bundesliga is the best, fast pace and good quality football whats not to like. Bundesliga is the best value for money aswell.... and best run.

Best quality in football, players and teams then its La Liga. Watch a Barcelona game and you won't want to go back to the Premier League, saying that watch a Bundesliga game it will be difficult to go back. Think what      I can confirm is that in my opinion the Premier League is NOT the best league in the world.


http://www.guardian.co.uk/football/blog/2010/apr/11/bundesliga-premier-league - Bundesliga vs Premier League.