Six reasons why the Champions League is better than the World Cup

The Champions League concludes tomorrow, and in a few weeks the World Cup will kick off. It is unquestionably the most eagerly awaited sports championship on the planet,more than even the Olympics. But as an all-round package, there is a good case to be made for the Champions League trumping the World Cup on every other count. It has for several years now been a superior tournament.Superior in what way, you might ask. Here goes :

#1 More quality

Thanks to TV rights and sponsorships, Champions League clubs have the money to build teams as they wish, cherry-picking the best talent from a variety of nationalities. Arsenal rose to great heights with the first completely all-foreign team in history, and once started a Champions League match with players of 11 different nationalities! Real Madrid’s galacticos were similarly drawn from across Europe.

National teams on the other hand have to make do with what they have. George Best tasted continental success with Manchester United, but in the colours of Northern Ireland he looked rather like an Olympic swimmer in a bathtub. The same is true for George Weah, Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Roy Keane, among others – Ibra is the world’s highest paid footballer, but he won’t feature in Brazil.

Quite simply, quality rules. And that’s where the money is, so Europe’s most talented managers also prefer working for clubs rather than national sides.

#2 More exciting

For fans and neutrals alike, nothing can beat the Champions League for sheer adrenaline. Look at the semi-finals alone: the four epic Liverpool-Chelsea duels; the Milan derby in 2003 that was settled by a coin toss over the venue; Barca-Chelsea 2012 - the strongest side in the world running into an underdog that hit all their weak points – power, height, pace - at one go. Think of Ramires’ sucker punch of a goal, right after he’d been yellow-carded out of the final.

This year, an underfunded club from Madrid has set up a David vs Goliath clash against its hugely richer neighbour in the final. You can’t script these moments.

Those in the World Cup corner might point to Senegal-France 2002, Cameroon-Argentina 1990, or even the Zidane headbutt, but such moments are now few and far between. Unless you were a Spain fan, 2010 was a disappointment. It was too ‘tactical’, and most teams cared about ‘not losing’ more than winning, with the notable exceptions of Germany and Chile. The result was a dull affair, with an average of 2.27 goals per game and the champions scoring 8 times – both the lowest in World Cup history.

And that is a trend: since France 1998, the number of goals has dropped steadily at every World Cup. Of course, goals aren’t the sole indicator of prowess, but this raises the question of watchability.

If you are a non-regular who tunes in once every 2 years for the World Cup or Euro, you’d want to see goals and free-flowing football – one reason Brazil are so popular.

The Champions League never fails to offer entertainment, on or off the pitch.

#3 Tougher schedule

A World Cup lasts for a month, and the winning team plays 7 games in exclusivity. In contrast a Champions League campaign is carried out mid-week throughout the year, sandwiched between 30+ league matches and domestic Cup ties. A successful Champions League team can play upto 55-60 games across 9 months.

While the average number of games/month is slightly lower than in a World Cup, its tougher to maintain performance levels over such a long duration of time, every season - especially when youre hopping across the continent every other week.

For that reason, winning a Champions League title is always going to be harder than winning a World Cup. Keeping a squad fit and focused over 50+ games is certainly more difficult than getting them to focus for a month.

Partly as a consequence

#4 Fatigue affects World Cup performances

England’s disappointing World Cup campaigns are the stuff of legend, but one stat about their 2010 non-performance stands out: zero 2nd-half goals. The same was true of WC 2002. After the 2006 exit, Frank Lampard was blunt in his assessment:

“Throughout the tournament we had suffered in the heat. Our second-half performances were invariably below the standard of the first period and at its worst – against Paraguay in Frankfurt – most of us could barely walk, never mind run, in the latter stages of the match.”

When playing for your country, motivation isn’t a problem; but after a long season it can be hard to maintain performance levels. That can have a telling impact if you’re asked to play 3-4 competitive matches in a fortnight, during summer. So the quality of international football is several notches below club standard.

And it’s not just an EPL problem. When Italy exited Euro 2008, with none of their 4 strikers finding the net over 4 games, coach Roberto Donadoni blamed fatigue. 'I believe we are in the period of the season where it is not easy. After a long, hard season, it is a lot easier for defenders than attackers.'

#5 Organization

World Cup managers get about a month to declare the squad, watch players in training, implement tactics and integrate new members. In contrast, Champions League teams train and travel together everyday, and are accustomed to playing together, which makes for a better side.

In some cases, clubs actually contribute to NT success. For example, Germany usually do well because the core of the team comes from Bayern Munich. Similarly, Spains recent success is largely down to the Barcelona factor. But for the majority, it isnt easyto pick 2players from Borussia Dormund, 3 from Ajax, 4from Valencia and somehow turn them into a cohesive unit.

#6 Tougher the achievement, more the glory

Purists across the world argue that Lionel Messi is not yet at the level of titans like Pele or Maradona. He didnt score at the last World Cup, orHes won nothing for his national side.

Few know that the teenage Messi turned down a chance to play for Spain. As a Barca youth playerhe was eligible for La Rojas, and the Spanish FA did their best to lure him. The Argentine refused, declaring that he wanted to succeed with the land of his birth. Had he joined Spain, he would have probably led the attack in South Africa, won the title and added two Euros.

Argentina failed because their side lacked balance;but thatshould not cast a shadow over hisachievements. Messi has already proved his pedigree against the worlds best defenders, in the Champions League.

Everyone remembers a World Cup final scorer, goes the argument, but who remembers the goalscorers from a Champions League final four years ago? That is a point but is a World Cup final really the ultimate test of ability? Steven Gerrard may fail as England captain, but the comeback he inspired in Istanbul in 2005 will remain his defining moment as a player. Conversely, Mario Balotellis form for Italy will never change the perception that he is largely unreliable and inconsistent.

To summarize, the Champions League has overtaken the World Cup as a test of technique, talent, tactics and temperament. The World Cup gets more mileage because it happens once every 4 years, but that can in no way diminish the Champions Leagues status as the pinnacle of footballing mettle.