4 THE PREM ERAINTRODUCTION
I
n1992, Manchester United were owned by the son of
a local butcher, Arsenal run by a family of Old Etonians
and Liverpool controlled by a Mersey pools magnate.
None, however, were English champions; that was Leeds
United, whose unexpected title success had been given a late,
significantpushoverthe linebyEricCantona, oneof the 11
foreigners who started matches on the first weekend of
England’s new FA Premier League.
On August15,1992, the big story on the opening day of
the season was the two goals scored by Blackburn Rovers’
Alan Shearer, a £3.2 million British record signing, in a 3-
draw with Crystal Palace. To all intents and purposes it was,
however, just another opening day, not the dawn of a new era.
World Soccer’s August1992 edition noted the “new, lucrative,
TV-adorned high-profile competition” declaring it was “new in
name but, in reality, little more than a dressed-up version of
the English First Division”. Indeed, that edition contained
a boot advertisement with the strapline: “England gave
soccer its past. Italy gives soccer the future.”
As the Premier League begins its 20th season we know
better. For good or ill the league has transformed football in
England, in Europe, and even in Africa and Asia. It may not be
the best around – depending on your prejudices that could be
La Liga or the Bundesliga – but it is the most influential. On
and off the pitch, even in the heavens – where it has fuelled
the spread of satellite television – the Premier League has
changed the game.
One aspect cannot be disputed: the league has been an
incredible commercial success. Real Madrid and Barcelona
top the annual Deloitte “rich list” and pay the highest wages,
but that is largely because they cream off much of La Liga’s
television income. The Premier League has a more equitable
distribution, with even last season’s lowest earners, Blackpool,
picking up £39m in TV income – compared to £60m for
champions Manchester United. Taken collectively, Premier
League clubs earn the greatest revenues and pay the
highest wages. Which, forget all the guff about wantingto play at “the home of football”, is the main reason so many
foreign players go to England. The11on that opening day
back in1992 were pathfinders, and nearly1,300 foreign
footballers have since played in the Premier League. Most
weekends, two-thirds of the starting XIs are ineligible for
the national side.
There has been an enormous benefit. In terms of playing
personnel this has been a golden age. Gianfranco Zola,
Thierry Henry, Dennis Bergkamp, Cristiano Ronaldo, Didier
Drogba, Cesc Fabregas, Peter Schmeichel, Carlos TevezAUGUST 2011: As the Premmier
League begins its 20th seasson,
Glenn Moore considers hhhoow
the TV-led competition ha
revolutionised the gamme