There still persists the myth, particularly in England, that International football represents the pinnacle in the game and that there is some sort of big jump required to establish yourself at International level from club level.

Certainly for the vast majority of the twentieth century this was undoubtedly the case and the reason for this was simple. Up until fairly recently virtually all professional football players performed in the leagues of their own nationality. It stands to reason therefore that any country’s national side would be superior to any of the club teams in that country since the national sides normally represented the cream of the players in it’s own leagues.

Although the club sides still had the considerable advantage of playing together week in week out, this was outweighed by the standard of the national players in terms of both technique and skill. With very few exceptions, Real Madrid of the 1950’s and AC Milan of the late 1980’s spring to mind, International football reigned supreme. So what changed and when?

In December 1995 a little known Belgian midfielder by the name of Jean-Marc Bosman won a legal case the consequence of which, amongst many others, was to remove any restrictions of movement between football players within the European Union. In one stroke The Treaty Of Rome was to change the face of football forever.

At the same time as The Bosman ruling, satellite TV had made European football more accessible to viewers around the globe; and they were willing to pay for it through subscriptions.

The top European clubs now had the purchasing power they had always dreamt of and they had a wish list of players no longer constrained by UEFA’s foreign limit on players.

UEFA’s initial refusal to recognize the ruling, and the changing face of European club football in general, resulted in the most powerful of the clubs threatening a breakaway league of their own which would fall outside of the jurisdiction of UEFA. European football’s governing body finally conceded to the demands of the clubs and The Champions League was born.

In its current form The Champions League allows as many as four teams from it’s top three ranked domestic leagues to potentially take part in UEFA’s premier football competition. Some traditionalists state that by permitting domestic league also rans, into what was formerly the European Cup, The Champions League is now an easier competition to win than once it was. The opposite is actually the case.

Is anyone seriously suggesting that the champions of Latvia are stronger than the fourth placed team in La Liga? According to MANCRANK the top 15 rated clubs qualified to take part in the Champions League 2004/05.

The Champions League ensures that the rich get richer and stronger with each passing season; it’s a vicious circle. The top teams qualify for The Champions League and are rewarded with millions of pounds in television revenues and prize money. This money is then used to buy the best players from around the World which generally ensures that the same teams qualify for the competition the following year.

This pattern has resulted, rightly or wrongly, in the formation of several club sides that are now packed full of World class players with many top International players relegated to the bench or even the reserves.

The club sides still have the advantage of playing together on a weekly basis but now they are no longer constrained by nationality restrictions that are the hallmark of the national sides.