Now I don’t have the data but it feels like the other 3 nations (England, Germany and Italy) can just buy away players from Spain. Maybe I’m wrong hut I think there’s a larger ratio of outgoings than incomings.
The league has still maintained it’s status thanks to all the local talent produced and great academies.
OK maybe Germany, Italy and Spain are on similar footballing level and so buy from each other whole everyone has to sell to the EPL. (Minus a club or two)
We seem to have more incomings from south america (maybe bc Spanish makes it easier for Argentinians) but no other reason I can think of (climate maybe??).
The league rules don’t particularly make it anymore easy or difficult I don’t think.
Perhaps it’s just a bias of mine, I can’t be certain until I find the data.
There are 493 Spanish players in the top 5 leagues compared to 390 for France who are the runner ups. 320 for Italy. 303 for England. 299 for Germany. 107 for Brazil! Non European team with 100+ players. 75 for Argentina.
71 Portugal. If it said top 6 leagues they’d be higher. 62 Netherlands. 57 Belgium. 49 Senegal! 47 Côte d’ivoire! Both small nations with massive numbers and over the likes of Serbia, Croatia, Denmark etc.
Spain let’s a lot of players go. But part of it is just the ability to produce talent within the country.
Spain is easily the most prestigious league. But there’s more money in England and Germany and more opportunities in Italy.
That’s half true… Spain has two exceptionally good teams whereas other leagues have fewer, but have way more very good teams where Spain only have “ok” teams. Compare teams in midtable or towards the bottom of the Premier League or Bundesliga with teams towards the bottom of La Liga and it’s clear that Spain has a huge power imbalance and is suffering as a result as the quality of the opposition just isn’t as good.
That’s true, on any given match day in the Premiership, it can go very Pete Tong
Germany & England and to a lesser extent Italy are also more flat at the top than Spain - there’s a good 5+ clubs with huge pull in each of Germany and England, and 3-4 in Italy, whereas Spain pretty firmly has 2, leaving fewer slots in “top tier” first teams.
Also, it’s harder to buy developing foreign talent in England than most other leagues and all other top leagues, which means they kind of have to buy already developed players. Spain makes it pretty easy, so clubs can bring in Latin American and to a lesser extent African teenagers in bulk, then sell them off when they develop.
