Current State of Soccer

Important Players and Clubs

Currently, there are 5 “top leagues” at the club level. These are the Premier League (English), La Liga (Spanish), Bundesliga (German), Serie A (Italian) and Ligue 1 (French). The UEFA Champions League is the primary club tournament which combines the best teams from all of these leagues. Each of these leagues is typically dominated by a few of the top clubs in the league. A few big names in the game currently are Real Madrid, Barcelona, Manchester City, Liverpool, Bayern Munich, Borussia Dortmund, AC Milan, Paris Saint Germain, among others. While there is much debate, there a few players widely considered to be some of the best in the world currently. In particular, the French striker Kylian Mbappe and the Norwegian striker Erling Haaland, along with the English midfielder Jude Bellingham seem to be the best.

 

Kylian Mbappe (left) and Erling Haaland (right)

Rules and Developments

In November of 2018, major leagues introduced video assistant referee (VAR) into the game rules. This allows for referee calls on the field to be reviewed on video, and then the calls to be potentially overturned. This technology has decided many crucial games and has been cause of much contention. Other currently hot topic rules include arguments over the specifics of handball and offside rules.

Video Assistant Referee reviewing a call

Future of the Game

While the days of the classic rivalry of Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi are over, the future of the game is in good hands. New stars are constantly emerging across all the different leagues and nations in the world. Although new technology and rules can harm the game, they also have the potential to create an even better and more competitive environment.

 

 

References:

https://www.premierleague.com/news/1293198