In Spain, beyond the eternal dominance of Leo Messi, the failure of Barcelona and Real Madrid is imperious. Both teams are, for the moment, unsuccessfully pursuing their return to the throne of European football. Poor management of the squads and their egos, older and established players, high investments that still do not pay off. . . in conclusion, the absence of an appropriate roadmap seems to be the key. That is why the work of a sports director like Monchi is so admired. Thanks to Big Data, he is able to find the players that best fit a certain position for a modest price and at the end of the season their value has multiplied exponentially. Similarly, the discouraging situation of the two big ones has led to the growth of “the working class”.
The charm of French football lies in the discovery of a generation that has immeasurable talent as well as the physical qualities of top-level athletes. It is therefore not surprising that France has become a meeting place for intermediaries and scouts from around the world. In spite of the power that the Cathar heritage has given to Paris Saint Germain, I would like to point out the succulent game proposal of teams like Rennes or Olympique de Lyon.
In Portugal, year after year there are teams determined to prove that football exists beyond the big three: Porto, Benfica and Sporting de Portugal. Like France, it has become a mine of players, after winning the last Eurocup. A competition known for being the birthplace of skillful attacking midfielders and strong but agile centre-backs. Although seen from the outside it seems to be a league dominated by foreign talent, I find it really interesting to note that the LPFP requires clubs to have a minimum of eight players trained in Portugal for three seasons before the age of 21.
Foot Renegades 