In recent years, there has been a notable rise in the standard of football on a global scale, as investments in the sport have led to an increase in the quality of players and managers.
Many experts in football research, are of the opinion that for the quality and standard of football to be globalised, world-class players, coaches, and facilities, as can be obtained in major footballing countries and leagues have to be put in place in less developed countries and leagues, in order to improve their standards.
In the past, foreign players and managers were known to be skeptical about plying their trades in certain leagues and countries and this was a hindrance to the globalisation of the beautiful game.
There has recently been a paradigm shift, as world-class players and managers alike have begun to explore leagues outside of Europe. Notably, the move of Cristiano Ronaldo, arguably the greatest player of all time, to the Saudi League, has massively transformed the Saudi top flight, as the followership of the league has greatly improved around the world, as well as its competitive quality.
Speaking to FourFourTwo, Kaku – a Paraguay international, who plays for Al-Taawoun, explained the transformative impact of Ronaldo’s arrival in the Saudi Pro League. According to Kaku, the League has become more inviting to investors, fans, and world-class talents.
In the same vein, the arrival of accomplished soccer stars to the Chinese and Japanese leagues has geometrically marked up viewer attention and followership of the said leagues. It has also improved the quality of the game, as the global stars become role models for the home boys to learn from.
Nigeria and other African countries are not left out, as the recent influx of players of non-African descent to African Leagues has also improved the quality and viewership of African football in general.
Nigeria has had and continues to have its outstanding foreign-based professionals returning home to grow the quality of the game by setting up football academies, conducting talent hunts, and opening the gates to lucrative careers abroad for talented but obscure local youth, through referrals to the international top-flight soccer network.
Quite a handful of these accomplished Nigerian internationals have also been and are still involved in coaching the national male and female teams, up the age-grade ladder to the senior sides.
Others still have, and are still coaching in the local leagues on official contracts, or as visiting ‘professors’, when home on vacation, or upon retirement from active football.
The list keeps growing. On Sunday, June 11, 2023, the local Nigerian football team, Enyimba of Aba were crowned champions of the 2022/2023 NPFL season in Lagos after emerging champions of the Super Six Play-offs. A 1-1 draw with Rivers United saw the club finish on top of the championship table with 9 points, edging out Remo Stars and United with a superior goal difference.
Taking them to the title victory was their trainer, Finidi George, the accomplished and exalted former Real Betis, Barcelona, Ajax, and Super Eagles forward.
Finidi George certainly does not need the money, his mission is clearly patriotic, to raise the level of the local game by imparting to the local budding footballers, the best of class skills, comportment, and contacts, garnered from playing at the highest level over more than a decade.
The list is endless. Other renowned stars, including Henry Nwosu, Peter Rufai, Ike Shorounmu, Emmanuel Amuneke, Nduka Ugbade, Augustine Eguavoen, Sampson Siasia, Daniel Amokachi, Stephen Keshi, Sunday Oliseh, among others, have participated in coaching the Nigeria National teams at various levels over the years. Their activities also inspired the youth and raised the hopes and enthusiasm of spectators at home and abroad.
Stephen Keshi, the late former Super Eagles captain, led Nigeria’s Super Eagles to win the 2013 Nation’s Cup as a manager after having won the laurel as a player and captain, years back in 1994.
The recent performance of certain national teams in global tournaments is a testament to the improving standard of football around the world. Worth mentioning is the Moroccan national team reaching the semi-finals of the FIFA World Cup for the first time ever for any African team.
Similarly, Japan, South Korea, and Saudi Arabia had outstanding World Cup performances, especially when compared to previous outings.
Japan have progressed to the round of 16 in their last four world cup appearances and were the first Asian nation to beat a side from South America after they defeated Colombia 2-1 in the group stage of the 2018 World Cup. In the last edition of the FIFA World Cup held in Qatar in 2022, they defeated footballing powers such as Germany and Spain 2-1 respectively in the group stages to progress to the round of 16. Though they lost to Croatia on penalties, it was a landmark achievement.
Likewise, Saudi Arabia defeated Argentina 2-1 in their first game of the 2022 World Cup which was described by a data collection company as the biggest upset in world cup history as reported by CNN Sports. There was even a holiday in celebration of the victory as it was unbelievable, but it proved that the quality of players is on the rise around the world and not only in Europe and South America.
In the just concluded FIFA U-20 World Cup, there were a lot of upsets, such as the Nigerian side defeating Argentina, the tournament’s favourites and the most successful team in the history of the competition, in the round of 16, with a 2-0 victory in grand style, which saw football analysts describe Nigeria’s performance as classy, defensively and offensively in terms of game management.
Another upset in the U-20 World Cup competition was Israel’s 2-1 triumph over Brazil in the quarter-finals, to reach the semi-finals of the tournament.
From the foregoing, it can be summarised that there are no minions in global football, not anymore; No small boys in global football as unlikely sides beat favourite international stars. More stars can be groomed with better organisation and funding of local games at local levels.
The rising standard and quality of football coaches and players globally can be ascribed to recent behavioral change as seen in many countries now investing in the act of nurturing coaches and footballers as against the previous practice of just looking for ‘finished products.’
This has seen Africa, Asia, and America produce world-class players at a rate that has never been seen before. Players such as Mane, Salah, Son Heung-min, Victor Osimhen, and Christian Pulisic, to mention but a few are products of grooming talent in previously neglected countries.
The globalisation of football remains a slow process and still has a long way to go, as Europe and South America mostly still command much of the top-flight attention and investment.
