The second article in the series of articles, covering the major leagues in the world focuses on South America. Many consider it to be the real home of Football and can you blame them? Brazil and Argentina have been leaders in the world of football, with megastars like Pele, Maradona and of course Lionel Messi, originating from these exotic countries. So lets see which are the leagues, hosting this amazing football.
Labeled as perhaps the most passionate league in the world, the Primera Division might not be full of the most talented and recognizable names in the world but it has the best fans, the greatest atmosphere at matches and some of the football on show can only be described as poetic. The first season kicked off in 1931 and has been dominated by River Plate, Independiente and Boca Juniors ever since.
However, in recent years other sides have been enjoying some title success. Estudiantes, Banfield and Velez Sarsfield have all grabbed glory and this is a trend that is looking like continuing. There is no doubt that the Primera Division might not have some of the big stars that the European leagues have but it certainly matches these leagues for excitement, intensity and passion.
Similar to the Argentinian Primera Division, this league is all about the fans and attractiveness of the football as much as anything else. It is often a league where stars go to end their careers such as Ronaldo, Roberto Carlos and Adriano but it is also where many begin their careers. Pele, Kaka and Robinho all started their careers at clubs in Brazil.
The main clubs are Sao Paulo, Corinthians, Santos, Palmeiras and Flamengo but the title has been won fairly evenly by a large number of teams. This league is more a breeding ground for some of tomorrow’s stars. Right now there is a host of Brazilian footballers who are waiting to be picked up by European clubs to make their name on the world stage. The standard of the league is only not higher because all of its best players leave for the richer wages of the European leagues. Set up in 1958, it has seen many fascinating encounters between its teams and even though the level of playing ability isn’t as disciplined as other leagues, it is certainly much less predictable.
So there you have it. We have covered just a few of the major football leagues around the world. The leagues and their structures are constantly changing. European leagues often have a set number of teams who play each other twice. However, other leagues have a separate structure that might include playing each other more often or having an opening phase and a closing phase to their season. Every league is different and that is just another reason that makes football the greatest sport on Earth.