Quote:
Originally Posted by mykalberta
For someone growing up in Europe playing "football" what would thier "dream" order be.
Example in North Amercia, if you play Football you dream about Superbowl. Or hockey is Stanley Cup and maybe Olympics.
Are alot of the tournaments financial based? World cup is obviously the top, but would players have dreamed growing up playing in the FA/UEFA cups?
When I see those alot of people I know are very invested in them, and to me they appear as if they are soccers version of College football bowl games. Sure its bragging rights but if you arent the top dog, then what does this game really mean.
I find that to be the most difficult thing about watching soccer over hear (other than Setanta and their crazy monthy fees).
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I'd guess that the dream for most young players would be to play in the World Cup and the Champions League. Making it to the World Cup obviously has a lot to do with where you're from, Owen Hargreaves is a perfect example of someone who had little chance of playing in a World Cup without finding a way to play for a nation other than that of his birth.
The Champions League on the other hand has much more to do with your ability. In order to play in the latter stages of the competition (ie. the ones that you'd see on TV over here) you'd most likely have to be on one of Europe's major clubs, and in order to play on one of those clubs you'd have to be an elite player.
For English players playing in an FA Cup Final is quite a big deal. The unique thing about this tournament is that guys who work 9-5 and are more or less fans can wind up playing against some of the best players in the game. It's like a beer league team playing the Flames, although a good beer league team.
You didn't ask, but I'd have to say that any reasonable young player would dream of playing for only one team:
