Star-studded La Liga back in the spotlight

Objectivity in football is in itself a subjective concept. It is a sport of tastes, styles and the freedom that each person has to enjoy, suffer and consume it. What is clear is that the loss of the giants Cristiano Ronaldo and Leo Messi led La Liga to a progressive loss of interest, accompanied by years of pandemic, in which it seemed that public opinion became detached from the emotional commitment to watch the matches of their own league. Beyond those of their own team. What is undeniable is that La Liga has once again laid the foundations on which it can build to become the favourite league again. It is in the process.

All the coaches, with few exceptions, emphasise and assure that the protagonists are the players. That is why, beyond styles, beyond "I love the way Crystal Palace play" or "I can't watch a Getafe game", the attraction of a competition is generated by the players themselves. La Liga will kick off this new season with two of today's biggest headline makers: Kylian Mbappe and Lamine Yamal. In different contexts. The former, already proven and after finishing his time in Paris. The second, emerging and only 16 years old but with a potential that does not admit chains. 

La Liga lost Cristiano at the end of 2017-18 and Messi with 2020-21. No longer at the pinnacle of their careers, the image they projected of the championship was no longer the same with their departures. Karim Benzema and Antoine Griezmann picked up the baton, but obviously not at that level. With Vinicius, La Liga had also started to grow in that area, also after the arrival of Robert Lewandowski at Barcelona. But it did not reach that first level of figures from other competitions. Now, it seems that it can compete in this aspect.

La Liga has nine (Bellingham, Vinicius, Mbappe, Lamine Yamal, Valverde, Rodrygo, Camavinga, Tchouameni and Gavi) of the 20 most valuable players on Transfermarkt. The Premier League, for example, has six (Haaland, Foden, Saka, Rodri, Rice and Odegaard). Mbappe's arrival is, like Cristiano's, a slap in the face for the rest of the leagues. By image, by repercussion and by what it can attract on each matchday. If the footballing growth (and maturity).

As always, the title of "best league in the world" is a personal choice, but there is no denying that the Spanish competition is making strides towards becoming the most attractive again.

 

July 17, 2024