How much does league matter?
Hello, I am an American who is getting into international football. I am wondering how much the league a player plays in dictates how good of a player they are. Let’s say a player finished a career with these something close to these stats
850 goals 300 assists 5 champions league wins (8 appearances) 1 WC win (4 appearances) 10 league titles
But, they played in the Belgian First Division A. Would they be considered one of goats along with Messi and Ronaldo or does the fact they played in Belgium play a big role in them not being up there?
It would matter little for a player with that ridiculous medal haul!
We also have to consider that the quality of the individual player and their ability to find their way into the public consciousness counts more than where they played or what they won.
Paul Gascoigne’s most successful years were in Scotland. His trophy haul in England consists of one FA Cup and one League Cup. He went off injured after 17 minutes of the FA Cup final. His team won in spite of him. He is considered one of England’s greatest ever players.
The complete globalisation of football’s talent pool is a fairly recent thing. Great players played their entire careers in the Eastern Bloc, or in the Scottish and Dutch leagues.
Another way to look at it would be to consider if Johan Cruyff would be regarded so highly if he never went to Barcelona? And the answer is yes.
If you want an example of an absolute goat tier player who did it all outside of the modern top 5 leagues, it’s Eusebio.