If the Champions League is bigger and more popular,than the World Cup,why does it get nearly FOUR times has many worldwide viewers?Whiskyman wrote: ↑Fri Nov 27, 2020 5:00 pmDisagree. The World Cup used to be the pinnacle but now imo the Champions League has surpassed it because of the way players now move all round the world to play for the best club sides.terrya1965 wrote: ↑Fri Nov 27, 2020 11:00 am
The Champion's League is NOT a bigger prize than the World Cup.
Ask yourself?..If Man United(our biggest club in England)win the CL and England win the World Cup..How many fans would turn up to see the trophy return and what would have the biggest effect on our economy?There is NO competition.Go to any European country in the world with their top domestic team and their country.It will be exactly the same.
Ask any player,what he would rather win?I don't think it would be the CL.
To win the World Cup is the pinnacle of any players career.
Pele for example was a great player but because in his day it wasn't commonplace for players to play outside their own country, never mind their own continent, he probably never gets as much credit as he would have done if he had been born 20 years later.
Imo the leading club sides in most major European footballing countries would beat the national team of the league they play in. That is really the reason I think the club prize is bigger. It's harder to win. I've no idea how many fans would turn up to a parade if Man United won the CL or if England won the World Cup but I do take your point. The economy ? Not sure England winning the world cup would encourage people to go out and spend more or persuade foreign companies to invest in the U K, but I suppose you never know. I wasn't old enough in 1966 to make any judgment as to how the country's economy benefited. It may have done but I just don't know. Although the economy would have had a boost simply by hosting the tournament of course.
And is so called "national pride" a factor anymore. I remember Italia 90 when, oddly enough talking about Maradona, the city of Naples was very split when Argentina, with Maradona of course, played Italy. There was massive support for Argentina amongst the locals if you remember. You may be right if you did a poll amongst players but I would bet a decent sum of money that if you polled only the TOP players it would be a different story to a poll of all of them. The journeyman is always going to say the World Cup is his dream, but a player who plays, or at least has a chance of playing, for an "elite" club would possibly have a different perspective on things.
This theory about teams being brilliant in the CL.Liverpool in 2005 won it with an awful side and Chelsea's weren`t much better either in 2012?