Premier League is one of the World Cup’s big winners
A new World Cup champion will be crowned this Sunday in Moscow. No matter which team wins, the Premier League has come out on top.
It was an hour before the kickoff of the Croatia-England semifinal at Moscow’s Luzhniki Stadium on Wednesday, when the venue’s PA system blared out Journey’s classic song, “Don’t Stop Believin’.”
While England fans favored another song during what was an incredible World Cup run, there’s no denying Journey’s 1981 hit made a strong case for supporting the amazing work done by manager Gareth Southgate with the Three Lions.
After losing 2-1 to Croatia in extra-time, England fans walked out of the stadium dejected, while it was Croatia supporters who chanted, “England’s going home!”
England may be going home after Saturday’s third-place match against Belgium in St. Petersburg, but many Premier League stars are still fighting to win this World Cup. The Premier League, with its vast wealth, lucrative global television rights and superstar players, is one of this World Cup’s biggest winners.
“Having so many Premier League players at the semifinal stage is a significant development,” said former Scotland manager Andy Roxburgh, who is also a member of FIFA’s Technical Study Group that will award prizes to the best players at Russia 2018. “Competition drives the best players. If you’re playing in big tournaments like the Premier League and Champions League, week in and week out, that drives competition at the highest level.”
Of the 92 players on the four semifinalists, 39 play for Premier League clubs (plus two more in the Championship: Nacer Chadli of West Brom and Jack Butland of Stoke). That was more than any other domestic league in the world, mostly due to England’s 23-man roster being made up exclusively of domestic-club players. In addition, a tournament-leading 47 goals have been scored by English-based players at this World Cup.
Tottenham led the way with nine players in the semifinals: Harry Kane, Dele Alli, Keiran Trippier, Danny Rose, Eric Dier, Jan Verthonghen, Mousa Dembele, Toby Alderweireld and Hugo Lloris.
The final that will be contested Sunday will feature five Premier League players: Croatia defender Dejan Lovren (Liverpool), along with Paul Pogba (Manchester United), Lloris and N’Golo Kante and Olivier Giroud (Chelsea).
The Premier League’s reliance on foreign stars, however, may have put a damper on England’s run. Southgate, following his side’s win against Sweden in the quarterfinals, noted, “We’re in a semifinal, but we only have 33 percent of the [Premier] league to pick from. That is still a huge problem for us.”
On the eve of the heated semifinal against England, Lovren was asked if he could handle Kane after the defender had some problems containing the Spurs striker during a 4-1 Tottenham win against Liverpool this past season.
“I have all respect for Harry Kane. He’s been showing season-in, season-out that he’s one of the best strikers in the Premier League,” a testy Lovren replied. “He’s constant. He bangs in goals. He’s one of the greatest threats, but he’s not alone. His teammates play at top-drawer clubs. It’s going to be a difficult task for all of us.”
In the end, it was a task Lovren and Croatia’s stingy backline handled well, giving up just one goal. Thanks to goals by Inter’s Ivan Perisic and Juventus’s Mario Mandzukic, the Croatians came out victorious.
Those goals have given Serie A fans something to brag about. Once considered the world’s best league in the late 1980s and early ’90s, Serie A fell on hard times in recent years. Despite Italy’s failure to get to the World Cup for the first time since 1958, Serie A has also been a winner this tournament. Add to that Juve’s signing of Cristiano Ronaldo and one could argue Serie A is slowly returning to its former glory.
Also, every edition of the World Cup since 1982 has featured at least one player from both Inter Milan and Bayern Munich. Inter Milan also boast Croatia midfielder Marcelo Brozovic in their ranks, prompting the Italian club to tweet out a congratulatory message from its official account.
https://twitter.com/Inter/status/1017157175880318993
La Liga fans, however, might say it’s Spanish clubs who are the real winners in all this — even though their national team crashed out of the tournament to hosts Russia in the round of 16. France has six Liga players on the roster, while Croatia boast four.
Next: Kieran Trippier shines even in defeat
The most notable from this group include Croatia playmaker Luka Modric (Real Madrid) and midfielder Ivan Rakitic (Barcelona). France also have two Barca players, defender Samuel Umtiti and striker Ousmane Dembele.
La Liga could very well cement itself as the league with the most quality over quantity at this tournament. Modric, who has already captured the Champions League this year, may be awarded the Ballon d’Or, especially if Croatia lift the World Cup.
“Modric has been a star at Real Madrid,” Roxburgh added. “He brings that competitive experience here at the World Cup. The teams are not the same. He’s not playing for Real Madrid, but he’s a professional with a competitive spirit.”