Paul Pogba to Manchester United Signals Challenge to La Liga’s Era of Dominance

The show had been surprisingly underwhelming, but there was nothing unexpected about the result. On an emblematic night in so many ways, the Santiago Bernabeu had rocked and Europe’s rulers had done it again. By the end, the scoreboard read: Real Madrid 1, Manchester City 0.

The next morning, though, the Daily Mail wasn’t so much interested in that tally as it was in another: “Spain 17,” began the headline, “England 1.”

This was the Champions League semi-finals, but Real Madrid had done more than simply progress to the tournament’s finale. Over previous months and even years, a realisation had steadily been setting in, but this saw it definitively established: La Liga was king.

No buts. 

Real’s victory meant Spanish teams had won 94 percent of their last 18 European ties against their English counterparts. But it wasn’t just England. Going into that week’s action, Spanish sides had won 45 of their previous 48 knockout ties with any foreign opposition. 

Then Real knocked out City, and Atletico Madrid did the same to Bayern Munich. In the Europa League, Sevilla added to the astonishing numbers by beating Shakhtar Donetsk, while only Liverpool’s victory over Villarreal prevented two all-Spanish finals. 

Manuel Pellegrini had been right, then.

“I’ve always said that the best league in the world is the Premier League,” started the former City manager ahead of his side’s clash with Real. “For various reasons: the fans, the organisation. But the best football is played in Spain.”

Pellegrini then watched his side become a part of the indisputable evidence. And yet, now, change might be coming. 

Paul Pogba’s approaching move to Manchester United, as reported by Sky Sports, signals the beginning of a challenge to La Liga’s supremacy.

That might sound obvious or it might sound bizarre, so let’s first bash out the basics: Pogba going to United doesn’t immediately make them contenders in the Champions League. After all, Jose Mourinho’s men won’t even be in the competition in the coming season, and their soon-to-be new star won’t come with any guarantees, either. 

Indeed, if there are doubts about Pogba, their existence is understandable. For a player whose transfer fee is set to become a world record, the Frenchman is not yet a finished product. He’s not yet a world beater or a banker for a particular level of performance. 

But none of that matters here.

In this case, it’s not about what Pogba will do on the field for United but instead what he says about United and the Premier League. 

For years now, the Old Trafford outfit and its domestic rivals have existed in the shadows of Real Madrid and Barcelona despite varying wealth, reputations and …

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