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?
I don’t agree with the top 5 narrative. I think it’s more competitive than that at this point. If you’re in EPL or La Liga, at a team consistently competing for the title or with consistently good showings in Europe (so that leaves Man City, Liverpool, maybe Arsenal and Real, Barca, maybe atletico), or if you’re at the TOP Italian team competitive in Europe (kind of like Juventus 2015 - 2020), then you have a shout for being remembered as one of the best.
It comes down to competitiveness in Europe, and you’re really only going to consistently get that at a few teams. Those teams drop in and out of form, but for the most part it’s going to be a handful of English teams, a handful of Spanish teams, and Bayern. Maybe 1 Italian team every few years but that’s about it