I dont get this, why is nearly every single leading scorer from the new era?
Why is it never like „yeah he played in the 70s and is leading scorer off xyz“
You can check that, i am not talking bs, its hard to find a leading scorer that was in his prime between 1970-90
Why?
More matches nowadays, and better fitness. Longer careers too, there’s money in the tail end years where guys used to just quit.
More concentration of talent (and money). The days when Steaua could win the European Cup have long passed. Instead we have a small number of teams that utterly dominate their domestic competitions. You didn’t have superstars in every position on a team, and so you didn’t have as many uneven matches.
Defensive tactics had to be unravelled by rule changes like the passback rule and various fouling rules. Average goals scored at the WC dipped in the era you’re talking about and came back later.