The
English Premier League is recognised as the crème de la crème of football. It’s where wizards and warlocks spin magic with ball… and win obscene amounts of cash for their precision and prowess. Now into its 26
th year in the current format, the EPL is entertainment par excellence. Of the big five football leagues in Europe it’s the most lucrative money spinner of all, generating an estimated £6.5 billion in annual revenue!
EPL: More United Nations Than Little Britain
Despite its English ancestry the league is more United Nations than Little Britain. Players are cherry picked from all over the world to serve and strike in the top flight. Aside from recruiting footie royalty in Europe and South America, the EPL is home to players from lesser known nations that vary from Angola and Barbados to the Cape Verde and Faroe Islands.
Of all the countries on continental Africa that contribute to the razzle and dazzle of the league, it’s Nigeria that claims the kudos. In fact, more than 40 Nigerians have made the great leap from hometown clubs to the best football league on the planet. Well done… or as they say in one of Nigeria’s 11 official languages, Hausa; ‘sannu da aikatawa’!
Top Flight England Managers Officially Extinct
Image Source: goal.com
The international flavour of the Premier League permeates the highest levels… and it’s the ‘aliens’ who are winning the title war. A quick glance at who has won the silverware is enough to bring a flood of tears to English eyes. Of all the managers who have clinched the title there has not been one local boy… ever!
There’ve been top dogs from six different nations - Scotland, France, Portugal, Italy, Spain and Chile, but no-one raised in England has ever raised the performance of a club to the summit of the league table.
Red-Faced Records for ‘Ricky’ Dunne
Richard Dunne Image Source: charitystars.com
Browse the history of the English Premier League and you’ll find top scorers, top assists and players who have ratcheted up the most league appearances. If you’re looking for a rather red-faced player who has a couple of ignominious records under his belt, look no further than Irish defender and serial offender
Richard Dunne.
The man who played for Everton, Manchester City and Aston Villa over a professional career that spanned 19 years is the sultan of slackness. He not only scored 10 own goals, he’s the joint red card record holder having been sent off a total of eight times.
His fellow red carders are former Manchester City teammate Patrick Viera and retired Everton player Duncan Ferguson, a man who earned the moniker ‘Duncan Disorderly’ for his propensity to be summarily dismissed for dodgy play!
English Premier League: 26 Years in Numbers
In the quarter of a century the league has wooed audiences from around the world, it’s packed in plenty of action. Fans have clocked more than 9, 880 matches and witnessed over 25,000 goals blasted into the back of the net by 47 different teams.
As with all great competitions, there is one exceedingly rare and impressive combatant that has hogged the league honours… and that of course is marvellous Manchester United under Scottish manager Sir Alex Ferguson.
The Red Devils can lay claim to more than seven percent of all goals scored in the league, while their record 13 Premiership titles are more than all the titles snagged by all the other clubs combined! Now how’s that for dominance on the pitch!
2018/2019 Premier League Odds
The 2018/2019 Premier League is upon us and the outright odds are out. With Arsenal without Wenger for the first time in 22 years, can Pep's men honour their favourites status, or will Jose, Klopp, Poch, or new boy Emery have a shout?
For all the latest sports news, betting tips and promotions, follow
Betway Nigeria on
Facebook,
Twitter,
Instagram,
Google+ and
YouTube