How well do you know the history of the most popular football league?
The current Premier League is in full swing, with Liverpool dominating the top spot for some time now. Hot on their heels, however, are Manchester City and Arsenal, who are also delivering a beautiful football spectacle this year. However, at ChampionBet today, we’re not going to talk about the current state of the Premier League, but rather, we’ll continue our new series, History & Heroes of the Premier League, with the second installment, which is themed around evolution and expansion.
When the now well-known prestigious football league was founded in 1992, no one could have imagined how deeply it would impact the world of football. Originally a domestic competition, it transformed very quickly thanks to fan interest and timeless marketing. However, once the competition acquired television rights, everything started to escalate even more rapidly!
In the early years, teams were predominantly made up of domestic players. However, the whole situation changed in 1995 after the European Court of Justice’s decision in the Bosman case. The verdict allowed EU players to transfer to clubs in other EU countries at the end of their contracts without a transfer fee. This opened the doors of the Premier League to talents from all over Europe and eventually the entire world.
The Premier League saw the arrival of many greats like Éric Cantona, Gianfranco Zola, and Dennis Bergkamp, who brought a new dimension and overall impressiveness to the game. With the arrival of foreign talents, not only did the quality of the matches themselves increase, but so did the overall interest in the league on the international stage.
The expansion of the Premier League was not limited to the arrival of foreign players. Television rights and marketing strategies extended its reach far beyond the borders of the United Kingdom. The Premier League is currently watched by millions of football fans worldwide, thanks to broadcasting the matches in almost all conceivable languages. Today, this may seem standard, but it wasn’t the case back then.
The influx of foreign players had a huge impact on English football. It increased international interest as well as the competitiveness and quality of domestic players, who learned daily from the world’s best talents. The mix of cultures and playing styles made the Premier League the most dynamic football league in the world. And the most popular?
The Premier League is simply a football cult. It’s unmistakable for anything else and you can’t find bigger stars anywhere else but here. If you want to learn more about the history of the most prestigious English football league, follow our ChampionBet blog for more information! Also, don’t forget to place your bet on the current Premier League matches and share them in our Champion Arena.