1. English Premier League (England)—Manchester United, the English champion, and Barcelona, the Spanish champions, battled in the Champions League Final with Barca taking the title as best team in Europe (and the world). However, from top to bottom, England has the highest level of competition, with a fierce relegation battle ever season. The battle at the top of the league was exciting all year with any of five teams fighting for the championship at some point. Many top-level players from around the world call the Premier League home and for good reason.
2. La Liga (Spain)—Though Barcelona was easily crowned the best team in the world, the Spanish league did not offer much after the top few teams. Real Madrid had a great season and finished with the coveted (but not held onto) Copa del Rey. There was a vast drop to the teams after second place and bottom of the table teams fared very poorly against the top of the table.
3. Serie A (Italy)—In the past, Italian football has competed strongly in European competitions, but wasn’t very strong this year. Both Milan-based teams boast very strong lineups but strength is measured by the weakest teams and Italy has some bad ones. Last season, Inter won the Champions League and hopefully, less diving and more football play will help bring Italy back into the forefront.
4. Bundesliga (Germany)—Last year, Bayern Munich reached the Champions League Final, but no other German teams had strong showings against the other leagues. With two new top teams this season, the Bundesliga looks to improve and throw more German teams into the European competition fire.
5. Ligue 1 (France)—While the other top four leagues have had Champions or contenders in Europe the last few years, the French Ligue 1 has showed up to the Champions League knockout rounds as heavy underdogs and performed just that way. With a new champion this year in Lille, and with perennial contenders Marseilles and Lyon, the French league looks to start improving against the other European teams.
Other leagues in contention for this ranking included the leagues in Netherlands, Russia, Portugal, and Scotland. While these leagues occasionally have teams in the knockout rounds of European competition, they have not been consistent enough in playing up to par with the powerhouses of late. Ideally, soccer fans would like to see more parity not only up and down the tables of these leagues, but across the countries. Maybe one day there will be a serious Club World Cup that includes the likes of the MLS and other non-European leagues. This will allow for a true globalization of the beautiful game and for my dreams to become reality.
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