12 Apr 2015 05:53:18
I would like to change our discussed topic a little bit .
We have heard many times that players from spain, italy, germany just recently came to know that there is also a club named Manchester City . I read the same thing in Robinho's interview With LVG also recently claiming that he found out about City just few years ago. It makes me think that how on earth was this suppose to happen . I mean EPL is the most watched league in the world with largest fan base . Players from England know almost every teams from the foreign league . Are the foreign leagues so much involved in their own game that they are cut off from the outside world ? A normal fan from poorest of country will know most of the clubs if he is interested in football but professional footballers claiming such makes me really wonder if they even watch English league under any condition. It makes me laugh for poor City but for english league, this is thing to worry about

1.) 12 Apr 2015
12 Apr 2015 06:38:40
I still to this day think Robinho just heard the word Manchester and turned up at City thinking 'why is this kit blue, where's Rooney and Giggs!'.

2.) 12 Apr 2015
12 Apr 2015 08:59:28
Maybe it's a more of a case that players were unaware that City were a good team (rich club is probably more accurate), rather than they had no clue they existed.

3.) 12 Apr 2015
12 Apr 2015 12:14:10
A lot of normal people watch the epl because its well marketed and now foreign fans have more of an idea on who teams are because of this compared to 20-30 years ago. Sky changed everything.

But some teams are more well known because of their history in the game. United are world famous because of Busby, the babes, Munich, '68, Law, Best, Charlton, Fergie, Beckham, The 90's domination of the premier league, the treble, Ronaldo.

Liverpool are world famous because of shankly, paisley, Keegan, dalgliesh, Barnes, rush, their total domestic domination over two decades, the 4 European cups in less than a decade and sadly Hillsborough.

Teams become more famous, and more likely to be followed by foreign fans because of either great success or great tragedy. Both ourselves and Liverpool have had both success and tragedy. City have never had either continued sustained success or triumph in Europe or tragedy so they are less well known. Although sky and recent success is changing this.

Most foreign players only watch English games if they have a friend playing for one of the teams. Am ex club mate or national team buddy. They don't watch it for the technical aspects.

4.) 12 Apr 2015
12 Apr 2015 14:37:01
also when robinho was a young lad watching the EPL city were playing lower league football