Euro 2024 Final: Local league potency proven by England, Italy

The 2024 UEFA Euro Championships final will be played between England and Spain on Sunday at the Allianz Arena in Munich, concluding a tournament that began in Germany on 14 June with the hosts thrashing Scotland 5-1.

The tournament in Germany has proven two key points. First, there is a clear hierarchy among the top football nations despite some unexpected results. Second, countries with a higher percentage of players in their home leagues tend to perform better. However, this advantage diminishes if the exported players compete in the top six European leagues.

The four semi-finalists in Germany were England, Spain, and Netherlands, and France. According to the UEFA coefficient for league rankings, the top six European leagues are England (1), Italy (2), Spain (3), Germany (4), France (5), and the Netherlands (6).

Spain’s manager, Luis de la Fuente, has used 24 players in Germany, with 17 (approximately 71%) based in Spain. England’s figure is higher, with only two overseas-based players out of the 20 that have seen action in Germany, translating to 90%. Notably, the overseas-based players compete in the English Premier League (EPL) and the German Bundesliga, except for Aymeric Laporte, who plays in the Saudi Premier League.

This trend can also be seen in the Netherlands and France. Ronald Koeman used 21 players, with 16 based overseas, while France’s coach, Didier Deschamps, used 20 players, with 15 based overseas. These include Kylian Mbappe, who moved from PSG to Real Madrid.

However, this theory does not hold for Italy. Of their 26 players, only three—Gianluigi Donnarumma (PSG), Guglielmo Vicario (Tottenham), and Jorginho (Arsenal)—are based abroad, yet they underperformed under Luciano Spalletti.

While this data might not be conclusive, it suggests that investing in and developing strong local football leagues is crucial for the overall growth and success of national teams. Strong local leagues provide a platform for talent development and an increased player pool. They also foster tactical familiarity among players, leading to better-coordinated national teams, often lacking sufficient training time to develop club-level chemistry.

The potential pitfall for countries like France and the Netherlands is that they are exporting leagues. Promising players are often recruited by better-remunerated leagues like the EPL, La Liga, and the Bundesliga, weakening their domestic leagues. France benefits from PSG’s presence in Ligue 1, supplying four of their five home-based players.

Successful local leagues attract investment and generate revenue, which can be reinvested in player development programmes, infrastructure, and coaching. This financial stability ensures the long-term growth of the league, players, coaches, and national teams.

Moreover, familiarity among players who compete together regularly in a local league translates to improved teamwork and cohesion in national teams. For example, South Africa’s national team, Bafana Bafana, continues to strengthen as a greater percentage of their players compete in the South African Premier League.

No country can develop all its emerging talent abroad. Brazil, for instance, has an endless conveyor belt of talent that leaves for Europe, but their national team has lost some of its lustre and Samba style. To regain their prominence, Brazil’s domestic league, the Campeonato, must retain enough talent to build a strong foundation for national success.

But we are still talking about Sunday’s final. Will the Three Lions’ greater percentage of home-based players give them an edge over the better-playing La Roja? Kick-off is 8 p.m.