Big Five (association football)

This article will address the topic of Big Five (association football), a concept that has gained relevance in recent years due to its impact on various aspects of daily life. Since its emergence, Big Five (association football) has captured the attention of experts and the general public, generating debates, research and different interpretations. Over time, Big Five (association football) has become a topic of interest both in academia and in daily conversation, and its influence has spread to multiple areas, becoming a fundamental reference point for understanding current phenomena. In this review, different perspectives on Big Five (association football) will be explored, in order to provide a broad and enriching vision of its relevance and impact on contemporary society.

For the Argentine football teams, see Big Five (Argentine football).

The Big Five refers to the association football markets of England, Germany, Spain, Italy and France. As of 2023, they are the five European leaders in size and popularity of the main domestic football leagues – the Premier League, Bundesliga, La Liga, Serie A and Ligue 1 respectively in men's football, and the Women's Super League, Frauen-Bundesliga, Liga F, Serie A, and Division 1 respectively in women's football.

Market

In men's football, the combined resources and revenues of the Big Five domestic leagues dominate world football; according to Statista, they have a combined revenue of €15.6 billion. Within the Big Five, England's Premier League is considerably larger than the other four in terms of both popularity and wealth, with both factors influencing the other; league wealth is mostly derived from selling broadcasting rights to global markets based on the league's popularity worldwide, with competing bids. The German Bundesliga enjoys the highest average match attendance, while brand value is strongest in the main teams of Spain's La Liga, namely Real Madrid and Barcelona.

Bleacher Report noted that the Big Five all benefit from having "developed their own 'brand' of how football should be played." The website suggested that the Netherlands' top league Eredivisie was considered similarly to the Big Five in footballing terms, but did not reach the same popularity or funding levels because it is overlooked by international fans in favour of the Five.

Quality

The Big Five are seen as the collective leagues where the best players in the world go to develop and shine, and it is accepted that the Big Five "represent the pinnacle of European football". However, football fans, particularly in different regions, often debate the quality of each league compared to the others. As of 2023, the Big Five lead the UEFA coefficient for both men's and women's domestic leagues in Europe. The coefficient ranks on performance of domestic teams in European competitions; football analytics website Breaking the Lines suggested that the continued dominance of the Big Five in the coefficient for men's football relies on teams from other nations – which may be as good or better than Big Five teams when fielding their best XI – thinking there is more security in aiming for domestic titles rather than European ones, and Big Five teams having the resources available to perform in both. Women's football has been less consistently centralised and, in Europe, has also been strong in Scandinavia; as it became more popular, the largest (men's) football markets invested more, leading to a shift towards teams from the Big Five. Sweden held a spot in the UEFA coefficient instead of Italy through 2022.

In 2021, several men's teams from the Big Five leagues in England, Italy, and Spain attempted to create a European Super League, but received pushback. Teams from Germany and France were reportedly invited to join the project, but declined.

Records and statistics

List of players to have played the Big Five Leagues

The table below show the players who have played in all Big Five Leagues.

Footballer England England France France Germany Germany Italy Italy Spain Spain
Romania Florin Răducioiu West Ham United Monaco Stuttgart Bari Espanyol
Brescia
Hellas Verona
Milan
Denmark Christian Poulsen Liverpool Evian Schalke 04 Juventus Sevilla
Montenegro Stevan Jovetić Manchester City Monaco Hertha BSC Inter Milan Sevilla
Fiorentina
Netherlands Justin Kluivert Bournemouth Nice RB Leipzig Roma Valencia


List of Champions in the Big Five

The table below show the winning teams in all men's Big Five leagues by season.

Season England England Germany Germany Spain Spain Italy Italy France France
1888–89 Preston North End --- --- --- ---
1889–90 Preston North End --- --- --- ---
1890–91 Everton --- --- --- ---
1891–92 Sunderland --- --- --- ---
1892–93 Sunderland --- --- --- ---
1893–94 Aston Villa --- --- --- Standard Athletic Club
1894–95 Sunderland --- --- --- Standard Athletic Club
1895–96 Aston Villa --- --- --- Club Français
1896–97 Aston Villa --- --- --- Standard Athletic Club
1897–98 Sheffield United --- --- Genoa Standard Athletic Club
1898–99 Aston Villa --- --- Genoa Le Havre
1899–00 Aston Villa --- --- Genoa Le Havre
1900–01 Liverpool --- --- Milan Standard Athletic Club
1901–02 Sunderland --- --- Genoa Roubaix
1902–03 The Wednesday VfB Leipzig --- Genoa Roubaix
1903–04 The Wednesday No champions --- Genoa Roubaix
1904–05 Newcastle United Union 92 Berlin --- Juventus Gallia Club Paris
1905–06 Liverpool VfB Leipzig --- Milan Roubaix
1906–07 Newcastle United Freiburger FC --- Milan RC Paris
1907–08 Manchester United Viktoria Berlin --- Pro Vercelli Roubaix
1908–09 Newcastle United Phönix Karlsruhe --- Pro Vercelli Helvétique Marseille
1909–10 Aston Villa Karlsruher FV --- Internazionale US Tourcoing
1910–11 Manchester United Viktoria Berlin --- Pro Vercelli Helvétique Marseille
1911–12 Blackburn Rovers Holstein Kiel --- Pro Vercelli Saint-Raphaël
1912–13 Sunderland VfB Leipzig --- Pro Vercelli Helvétique Marseille
1913–14 Blackburn Rovers SpVgg Fürth --- Casale Olympique Lillois
1914–15 Everton --- --- Genoa ---
1915–16 --- --- --- --- ---
1916–17 --- --- --- --- ---
1917–18 --- --- --- --- ---
1918–19 --- --- --- --- Le Havre
1919–20 West Bromwich Albion 1. FC Nürnberg --- Internazionale ---
1920–21 Burnley 1. FC Nürnberg --- Pro Vercelli ---
1921–22 Liverpool No champions --- Novese ---
1922–23 Liverpool Hamburger SV --- Genoa ---
1923–24 Huddersfield Town 1. FC Nürnberg --- Genoa ---
1924–25 Huddersfield Town 1. FC Nürnberg --- Bologna ---
1925–26 Huddersfield Town SpVgg Fürth --- Juventus ---
1926–27 Newcastle United 1. FC Nürnberg --- --- CA Paris
1927–28 Everton Hamburger SV --- Torino Stade Français
1928–29 The Wednesday SpVgg Fürth --- Bologna Marseille
1929–30 Sheffield Wednesday Hertha BSC Athletic Bilbao Ambrosiana-Inter ---
1930–31 Arsenal Hertha BSC Athletic Bilbao Juventus ---
1931–32 Everton Bayern Munich Madrid FC Juventus ---
1932–33 Arsenal Fortuna Düsseldorf Madrid FC Juventus Olympique Lillois
1933–34 Arsenal Schalke 04 Athletic Bilbao Juventus Sète
1934–35 Arsenal Schalke 04 Real Betis Juventus Sochaux
1935–36 Sunderland 1. FC Nürnberg Athletic Bilbao Bologna RC Paris
1936–37 Manchester City Schalke 04 --- Bologna Marseille
1937–38 Arsenal Hannover 96 --- Ambrosiana-Inter Sochaux
1938–39 Everton Schalke 04 --- Bologna Sète
1939–40 --- Schalke 04 Atlético Aviación Ambrosiana-Inter ---
1940–41 --- Rapid Wien Atlético Aviación Bologna ---
1941–42 --- Schalke 04 Valencia Roma ---
1942–43 --- Dresdner SC Athletic Bilbao Torino ---
1943–44 --- Dresdner SC Valencia --- ---
1944–45 --- --- Barcelona --- ---
1945–46 --- --- Sevilla Torino Lille
1946–47 Liverpool --- Valencia Torino Roubaix–Tourcoing
1947–48 Arsenal 1. FC Nürnberg Barcelona Torino Marseille
1948–49 Portsmouth VfR Mannheim Barcelona Torino Reims
1949–50 Portsmouth VfB Stuttgart Atlético Madrid Juventus Bordeaux
1950–51 Tottenham Hotspur 1. FC Kaiserslautern Atlético Madrid Milan Nice
1951–52 Manchester United VfB Stuttgart Barcelona Juventus Nice
1952–53 Arsenal 1. FC Kaiserslautern Barcelona Internazionale Reims
1953–54 Wolverhampton Wanderers Hannover 96 Real Madrid Internazionale Lille
1954–55 Chelsea Rot-Weiss Essen Real Madrid Milan Reims
1955–56 Manchester United Borussia Dortmund Athletic Bilbao Fiorentina Nice
1956–57 Manchester United Borussia Dortmund Real Madrid Milan Saint-Étienne
1957–58 Wolverhampton Wanderers Schalke 04 Real Madrid Juventus Reims
1958–59 Wolverhampton Wanderers Eintracht Frankfurt Barcelona Milan Nice
1959–60 Burnley Hamburger SV Barcelona Juventus Reims
1960–61 Tottenham Hotspur 1. FC Nürnberg Real Madrid Juventus Monaco
1961–62 Ipswich Town 1. FC Köln Real Madrid Milan Reims
1962–63 Everton Borussia Dortmund Real Madrid Internazionale Monaco
1963–64 Liverpool 1. FC Köln Real Madrid Bologna Saint-Étienne
1964–65 Manchester United Werder Bremen Real Madrid Internazionale Nantes
1965–66 Liverpool TSV 1860 Munich Atlético Madrid Internazionale Nantes
1966–67 Manchester United Eintracht Braunschweig Real Madrid Juventus Saint-Étienne
1967–68 Manchester City 1. FC Nürnberg Real Madrid Milan Saint-Étienne
1968–69 Leeds United Bayern Munich Real Madrid Fiorentina Saint-Étienne
1969–70 Everton Borussia Mönchengladbach Atlético Madrid Cagliari Saint-Étienne
1970–71 Arsenal Borussia Mönchengladbach Valencia Internazionale Marseille
1971–72 Derby County Bayern Munich Real Madrid Juventus Marseille
1972–73 Liverpool Bayern Munich Atlético Madrid Juventus Nantes
1973–74 Leeds United Bayern Munich Barcelona Lazio Saint-Étienne
1974–75 Derby County Borussia Mönchengladbach Real Madrid Juventus Saint-Étienne
1975–76 Liverpool Borussia Mönchengladbach Real Madrid Torino Saint-Étienne
1976–77 Liverpool Borussia Mönchengladbach Atlético Madrid Juventus Nantes
1977–78 Nottingham Forest 1. FC Köln Real Madrid Juventus Monaco
1978–79 Liverpool Hamburger SV Real Madrid Milan Strasbourg
1979–80 Liverpool Bayern Munich Real Madrid Internazionale Nantes
1980–81 Aston Villa Bayern Munich Real Sociedad Juventus Saint-Étienne
1981–82 Liverpool Hamburger SV Real Sociedad Juventus Monaco
1982–83 Liverpool Hamburger SV Athletic Bilbao Roma Nantes
1983–84 Liverpool VfB Stuttgart Athletic Bilbao Juventus Bordeaux
1984–85 Everton Bayern Munich Barcelona Hellas Verona Bordeaux
1985–86 Liverpool Bayern Munich Real Madrid Juventus Paris Saint-Germain
1986–87 Everton Bayern Munich Real Madrid Napoli Bordeaux
1987–88 Liverpool Werder Bremen Real Madrid Milan Monaco
1988–89 Arsenal Bayern Munich Real Madrid Internazionale Marseille
1989–90 Liverpool Bayern Munich Real Madrid Napoli Marseille
1990–91 Arsenal 1. FC Kaiserslautern Barcelona Sampdoria Marseille
1991–92 Leeds United VfB Stuttgart Barcelona Milan Marseille
1992–93 Manchester United Werder Bremen Barcelona Milan ---
1993–94 Manchester United Bayern Munich Barcelona Milan Paris Saint-Germain
1994–95 Blackburn Rovers Borussia Dortmund Real Madrid Juventus Nantes
1995–96 Manchester United Borussia Dortmund Atlético Madrid Milan Auxerre
1996–97 Manchester United Bayern Munich Real Madrid Juventus Monaco
1997–98 Arsenal 1. FC Kaiserslautern Barcelona Juventus Lens
1998–99 Manchester United Bayern Munich Barcelona Milan Bordeaux
1999–00 Manchester United Bayern Munich Deportivo La Coruña Lazio Monaco
2000–01 Manchester United Bayern Munich Real Madrid Roma Nantes
2001–02 Arsenal Borussia Dortmund Valencia Juventus Lyon
2002–03 Manchester United Bayern Munich Real Madrid Juventus Lyon
2003–04 Arsenal Werder Bremen Valencia Milan Lyon
2004–05 Chelsea Bayern Munich Barcelona --- Lyon
2005–06 Chelsea Bayern Munich Barcelona Internazionale Lyon
2006–07 Manchester United VfB Stuttgart Real Madrid Internazionale Lyon
2007–08 Manchester United Bayern Munich Real Madrid Internazionale Lyon
2008–09 Manchester United VfL Wolfsburg Barcelona Internazionale Bordeaux
2009–10 Chelsea Bayern Munich Barcelona Internazionale Marseille
2010–11 Manchester United Borussia Dortmund Barcelona Milan Lille
2011–12 Manchester City Borussia Dortmund Real Madrid Juventus Montpellier
2012–13 Manchester United Bayern Munich Barcelona Juventus Paris Saint-Germain
2013–14 Manchester City Bayern Munich Atlético Madrid Juventus Paris Saint-Germain
2014–15 Chelsea Bayern Munich Barcelona Juventus Paris Saint-Germain
2015–16 Leicester City Bayern Munich Barcelona Juventus Paris Saint-Germain
2016–17 Chelsea Bayern Munich Real Madrid Juventus Monaco
2017–18 Manchester City Bayern Munich Barcelona Juventus Paris Saint-Germain
2018–19 Manchester City Bayern Munich Barcelona Juventus Paris Saint-Germain
2019–20 Liverpool Bayern Munich Real Madrid Juventus Paris Saint-Germain
2020–21 Manchester City Bayern Munich Atlético Madrid Internazionale Lille
2021–22 Manchester City Bayern Munich Real Madrid Milan Paris Saint-Germain
2022–23 Manchester City Bayern Munich Barcelona Napoli Paris Saint-Germain
2023-24 Bayer Leverkusen

* Single-year seasons (mostly referring to the championship tournaments in early years) have been converted into currently-used season format.

See also

References

  1. ^ a b c "Topic: Big Five". Statista. Retrieved 2023-05-18.
  2. ^ a b c Solomon, Michael. "World Football, League Races Outside of the "Big Five" That Deserve Attention". Bleacher Report. Retrieved 2023-05-18.
  3. ^ a b "The Statistical Ranking of Europe's Top 5 Leagues". Breaking The Lines. Retrieved 2023-05-18.
  4. ^ UEFA.com. "Country coefficients | UEFA Coefficients". UEFA.com. Retrieved 2023-05-18.
  5. ^ a b UEFA.com. "Women's association club coefficients | UEFA Coefficients". UEFA.com. Retrieved 2023-05-18.
  6. ^ lawson_sv (2019-08-09). "The history of Scandinavia's World Cup successes". All For XI. Retrieved 2023-05-18.
  7. ^ Skogvang, Bente Ovedie (2019-04-03). "Scandinavian women's football: the importance of male and female pioneers in the development of the sport". Sport in History. 39 (2): 207–228. doi:10.1080/17460263.2019.1618389. ISSN 1746-0263. S2CID 181902600.
  8. ^ Burhan, Asif. "2022: The Year That Changed Women's Soccer In Europe". Forbes. Retrieved 2022-12-30.
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