Which is bigger: Champions League or World Cup?
Columnist
By Davidde Corran, 21 May 2010 Davidde Corran is a Roar Expert
If Madrid wasn’t football mad enough, things have certainly gone into overdrive this week. Yesterday I had barely got off the plane at Madrid’s Barajas airport when I was assaulted by a barrage of advertising for Saturday’s UEFA Champions League Final, and it didn’t stop there.
You quite simply can’t escape the continental final and if you didn’t like football you would not want to be in the Spanish capitol this week.
So while Australia goes into a frenzy ahead of the World Cup, Madrid and most of Europe are going Champions League mad.
It’s had me thinking which is the more important tournament – the Champions League or the World Cup?
The UK version of FourFourTwo magazine had a debate on this very point in their latest edition.
In it, former England international and two-times European Cup-winner Viv Anderson argued that, “To win the World Cup is still the ultimate challenge for any footballer anywhere on the planet. It makes the Champions League pale in comparison.”
Meanwhile Liverpool fan, Gareth Roberts stated the Champions League is more important because fans of England’s biggest clubs feel more of an association with their club sides than their national team.
While that’s an English perspective on this global debate, what about the rest of the world?
For me it is clear that the UEFA Champions League is where the most innovative and advanced football is played. The very nature of club football makes this possible.
So if you want to see the best football on offer, the Champions League is the place to go.
Yet despite all of this, the World Cup still retains its mystique. Sport has a unique ability to unite the masses and there is no tournament where this is truer then at the World Cup.
Where the Champions League, despite its higher quality, tends to only hold the interest of football fans, the World Cup captivates people right across the globe.
The World Cup hype already building weeks out from the tournament in Australia is a great example of that. While for a country like Brazil, as Rio Di Jenero based football journalist Tim Vickery often says, “the World Cup is a matter of national pride.”
I’m not sure if the UEFA Champions League could one day overtake the World Cup in terms of prestige and popularity, but it does seem possible.
Yet for now one thing is clear: when pundits and fans talk about players like Lionel Messi, Wayne Rooney and Cristiano Ronaldo the consensus is thus: they will only be considered truly great players once they really do it at a World Cup.
That might seem a little unfair, but for the time being it settles the debate for me.
Enjoy sports? Enjoy a bargain? All Sports Online has your favourite sporting brands at up to 70% off. Online only, premium quality sporting goods and merchandise at discounted prices. Get a deal now.
Do you have what it takes to become a sports writer? Write for the roar
Football articles
- Phoenix need more than flash in the pan crowds (133)
- ‘New football’ fans may help save the game in Australia (124)
- Does Tasmania have a case for A-League inclusion? (119)
- What happened in Port Said was not a football riot (118)
- Magilton struggling to make a mark (68)
- Socceroos screwed over by FIFA, again (41)
- Gulf influence cripples the FFA again (40)
- Melbourne Victory vs Central Coast Mariners: A-League live scores, blog (95)
- Liam Miller: Bargain buy of the A-League season? (8)
- Zambia plays Cup of Nations final in memory of their fallen (6)
- Capello’s resignation ends an awkward marriage (8)
- Does the A-League need an injection of humour? (44)
- Redknapp the best bet to clean up Capello’s England mess (2)
- Redknapp tight-lipped over England job
- Melbourne Victory vs Central Coast Mariners: A-League live scores, blog (95)
- Liam Miller: Bargain buy of the A-League season? (8)
- Zambia plays Cup of Nations final in memory of their fallen (6)
- Capello’s resignation ends an awkward marriage (8)
- Redknapp the best bet to clean up Capello’s England mess (2)
- Melbourne derby reveals tale of two journeys (3)
- O’ so close for John: How JON almost landed the biggest job in sport (16)
Victer said | May 21st 2010 @ 1:05am | Report comment
World cup, always has been always will be.
davelee said | May 21st 2010 @ 2:02am | Report comment
world cup.
The Truth said | May 21st 2010 @ 5:52am | Report comment
World Cup is celebrated by real fans; Champions League is hyped by plastics.
Mr Saunders said | May 21st 2010 @ 7:56am | Report comment
I always thought the opposite to be true. Is travelling away to Rubin Kazan on a Tuesday night more *plastic* than marching up and down a square with face paint on and a replica national jersey? You also have to consider that the regular fan is paying out for domestic football on top of his CL travel whereas the WC is a four year tournament that happens when nothing else is occurring in the football world.
Australian Football said | May 21st 2010 @ 10:49am | Report comment
TT,
plastic? that’s crazy mate—what do you mean by that discription.? The Super Rugby 14 is that not plastic?
whiskeymac said | May 21st 2010 @ 7:19am | Report comment
no question WC.
ones an annual event the other a four epic. one involves 32 teams or so from European towns and cities, the other involves 32 international teams – who having survived years of qualifiers (themselves a great drama and spectacle) get to battle it out over 2 weeks. one engages a city, the other a whole country – and in 2010 a whole continent.
imagine the Spanish efforts if they had a WC to host: I feel it wld be more than just a barrage of adverts when you got off the plane.
jupiter53 said | May 21st 2010 @ 7:40am | Report comment
Why shouldn’t I be able to enjoy wine and beer?
In the World Cup I can support Australia, I can see if the Spanish can fulfil their potential to win, whether the Germans will make yet another final, is Maradona the coaching disaster he threatens to be or will he inspire Argentina, can someone beat Brazil, which minnow will cause an upset or a run of upsets, how will England blow it this time….irreplaceable drama and inviolvement….and the challenge of actually working and watching without going mad.
However the Champion’s League offers the the highest level of football we get to see……and a different sort of drama….will Van Gaal’s more attacking style beat Mourinho’s hyper controlled counter attack…”hyped by plastics”?…..you’re kidding!!
I want both….. but I agree that success in the World Cup cements the perception of a player’s greatness. Cruyff would be given even more acclaim if he had dragged the Dutch to victory in 1974 [or 1978]….and so it is the bigger tournament.
rovingto2011 said | May 21st 2010 @ 7:54am | Report comment
yeah well put, this fascination people have with which is bigger and/or better bores me too. I’ll enjoy the UCL final on sunday morning, then have some lead-in friendlies (plus the Giro) to keep me amused until the group stage kicks off. It’s all good !
agga78 said | May 21st 2010 @ 7:57am | Report comment
The champions league is where you can see the highest level of football, where you will see the best players from around the world playing for one team, however the world cup is bigger and better because it is where your countries best play each other and there is nothing more than pride for country to play for, any money they may earn is nothing to what they can earn for winning the ECL.
Savvas Tzionis said | May 21st 2010 @ 8:23am | Report comment
Champions League is ruled by money and only represents Europe.
World Cup is represented by the WORLD.
Simple as that.
Phil E Buster said | May 21st 2010 @ 9:02am | Report comment
The Champions League is higher quality, represents all nationalities – eg Inter is an Italian club with Portuguese coach and Argentinean and Brazilian players – and features domestic clubs who represent the bread and butter of football. I believe it was Alex Ferguson who said that the UCL is the highest quality of football even above the World Cup.
World Cup is every four years, and attracts large flocks of casual fans and bandwagonners, hell even well-known football haters watch the world cup (not mentioning any names Mr XXX!)
zizou said | May 21st 2010 @ 10:35am | Report comment
What’s wrong with bandwagoners? You can only hope that some of them catch the football fever as I did when I saw bits and pieces of the 1986 World Cup. Bandwagoners shouldn’t be despised they should be encouraged.
AGO74 said | May 21st 2010 @ 9:16am | Report comment
Exactly – you can’t ‘transfer’ between nations for gazillions of $$$. Sure there are some flaws with international game, and it is mostly the same suspects who win but for that reasons it is much more pure than the Champions League where clubs can hoarde the world’s best talent.
Note that the FFT contributor who said that CL is more important is a Liverpool fan. Well, no wonder – because his team plays in that comp (virtually!) every year. But what about the fans of lower EPL or lower divisions clubs or just casual fans. I think you’d be hard pressed to find too manys of Torquay United or Northampton Town who would rate winning the 2nd division as more important than a World Cup.
Phil E Buster said | May 21st 2010 @ 11:05am | Report comment
AGO74 – How many Torquay or Northampton players will be playing at the world cup? I would wager zero, so your logic is flawed.
There is no doubt the world cup is a bigger ‘event’ and comes with more hype, however in terms of quality of football, and bedrock supporters, it falls short of the UCL.
“Manchester United coach Alex Ferguson claimed on Thursday that the UEFA Champions League is of a higher standard than the World Cup.
Ferguson has spent the past week discussing the finer points of the game with the world’s finest, at the seventh UEFA Elite Coaches Forum.
Ferguson is the chairman of the Coaches Circle and having debated with the likes of Fabio Cappello and Arsene Wenger, has concluded that the best club football has to offer beats the equivalent on the international scene.
The Scottish tactician believes the World Cup has proven of a real disappointment over the past 20 years, citing the 1986 tournament as the last truly memorable event.
“I think that the Champions League and Premier League in England are of a fantastically high standard,” Ferguson told the League Managers Association.
“I think the Champions League is better than the World Cup.
“I think people find it hard to remember when the last great World Cup was.
“It was probably 1986 and that’s nearly 20 years ago. When the Champions League began nobody could have envisaged the level it would reach.
“So the UEFA Football Circle is dedicated to the overall quality of coaching standards to get them to a high, high level.” Sep 9, 2005
Gibbo said | May 21st 2010 @ 12:27pm | Report comment
if kisnorbo hadnt got injured a div 2 player could have been in our starting 11!
AGO74 said | May 21st 2010 @ 1:54pm | Report comment
Phil E
Apologies – I wrote it in a hurry and posted my point without vetting it! What I meant to say was along the lines of – “I think you’d be hard pressed to find too many fans of Torquay United or Northampton Town who would rate the Champions League as bigger or more important than a World Cup.”
In other words, unless you are a Fergie (who you quote) or a Liverpool supporter (that Davidde quotes) that belong to the exclusive club of regular CL contenders, the vast majority of ‘bedrock supporters’ as your refer to them would consider the World Cup bigger and more important than CL.
Anyway…….
Phil E Buster said | May 21st 2010 @ 2:34pm | Report comment
A fair response AGO74.
I suppose it depends on your circle. Personally the footballers followers I know are keen club supporters, one is the ‘barras bravas’ if you like, of the SFC Cove. He is front and centre of every SFC match – home and away, but doesn’t give a sh*t about national football or the Socceroos.
Football writers such as Giles Smith are keen club supporters yet openly call international football a distraction at best.
On the other hand you have football analysts like Les Murray who take what amounts to a moral/political stance in refusing to follow a particular club due to the commercial/capitalistic nature of professional club football, preferring national football instead.
Personally I am excited about the world cup and will watch as many games as I can fit in, but still prefer club football.
person said | May 23rd 2010 @ 7:06pm | Report comment
fergoosun is biased
i don’t agree.. world cup is ‘bigger’ and better, because it provides the opportunity for all to compete, not limited to members of the old boyz club
Midfielder said | May 23rd 2010 @ 3:37pm | Report comment
+ 1, 000
Australian Football said | May 21st 2010 @ 10:41am | Report comment
I look forward to both with great anticipation hoping for the Chelsea to make the long awaited club historic break through. But for me it’s the Football World Cup. The Australian National Football Team’s foray into the greatest show on the planet––there is really no comparison. As Australians we should be all wanting the National Team to continue to grow in this event. I will always pay particular attention to the UCL as I always have. However, with the coming of the ACL and SFC into this tournament I feel an even greater sense of excitement for Australian Club Football. These are indeed exciting times ahead for Australian Football––all bodes well for the future.
____
AF
Chook said | May 21st 2010 @ 11:00am | Report comment
Come on now 31 of the worlds best teams and NZ are playing in a month of football World Cup is massive. Most watch event globally.
It is massive and the sponsor ship $$ is scary.
Gibbo said | May 21st 2010 @ 12:34pm | Report comment
yep, WC for sure. Europeans and some neutrals rightly point out the technical aspects of the CL, but for example, say south americans fans, with so many of their players lost to the global diaspora, it’s gotta be such a bigger event when they pull on their national shirts and play for their home land.