Editorial: God save the Devils

Tue, 05/13/2008 10:39 AM  |  Opinion

Manchester United's 330 million fans across the world are relishing the club's 10th English Premier League title under manager Sir Alex Ferguson. Another party is being prepared as United turn their eyes toward a second Champions League trophy in nine years in Moscow on May 21.

United overcame their nerves to beat Wigan Athletics 2-0 on Sunday as the title race was pushed to the wire by contenders Chelsea, who the Red Devils will square off with in Europe's final showpiece in 10 days.

Sunday's victory means United have now won the Premier League 17 times, one short of Liverpool's all-time record of 18.

Needless to say, United's recipe for their back-to-back English crowns was resilience, popularly known as the champion's mentality. As the defending champions, United got off to a poor start and trailed arch-rivals Arsenal until last March.

Like United, all English top-flight clubs are the busiest teams in the world, playing regular league, FA Cup and League Cup matches during the season, not to mention the European competitions such as the Champions League and the UEFA Cup. England is the most demanding league and attracts the world's cream of the cream in soccer talent, who strive for the extra challenge, including a few of Asia's best players.

That three English clubs made it to the Champions League semifinals and subsequently produced an all-English final is a reasonable result of the tight competition, where hard work is a daily meal. With players barely enjoying a break except at the end of season, injuries can come at anytime.

It is also true that the entry of the best players from all five continents to the English Premier League has attracted huge amounts of money to the motherland of soccer. England is the world's most lucrative league, with cash pouring in from TV rights, advertisements and sponsorships.

The farther they progress in European competitions, the more money clubs make. It looks like money follows them, not the other way round.

Business tycoons like Roman Abramovich, Malcolm Glazer, the pair of George Gillett and Tom Hicks, and Thaksin Shinawatra smelled profit when they decided to take over Chelsea, United, Liverpool and Manchester City respectively.

Conversely, the financial power has shaped great teams in England, which now dominate Europe. Soccer geniuses like Lionel Messi, Ronaldinho, Kaka have been linked to possible moves to England in the upcoming summer transfer season, with Chelsea keen to acquire Messi for a potential record transfer.

In the case of United, the world's richest club, and other European soccer giants, the power of money enables them to groom future talents, who will fill the shoes of current players and make sure the winning team is sustained.

Nonetheless, the success of United this year cannot be separated from their luck. Arsenal's turn of form and the departure of Chelsea's league-winning manager Jose Mourinho contributed to the success of Ferguson's squad -- not to mention the controversial refereeing decisions that went United's way in their final match Sunday.

But it has been true for a long time: Luck backs only the strong.

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