Publisher's Synopsis
In October 1990, a group of media executives and the main English clubs discussed over lunch the possibility of creating an English football league and that the five clubs (Liverpool, Arsenal, Tottenham, Manchester United and Everton) would stop sharing the television rights with the rest of the 87 clubs in the different divisions and sell the rights directly to ITV. Finally, on 20 February 1992, the Premier League was founded and none of those present at the founding ceremony could have imagined that it would become a global phenomenon that would transcend borders, languages and timetables and that it would have a profound impact on the business of football. On 17 September 1992, a very young David Beckham made his debut for Manchester United and became the epitome of modern celebrity. The following year, Frenchman Eric Cantona led Manchester United to their first Premier League title, opening the door for foreign players to bring their own style to what is considered the best league in the world. A league that has also opened the door to foreign coaches and owners. In the following decades, the Premiership benefited from the investments of Arab, Asian, American and Russian millionaires, which guaranteed a greater media and merchandising presence. In addition, in 1989, the Hillsborough tragedy had taken place (seven people were run over by a stampede) and clubs were forced to renovate stadiums in order to improve spectator comfort and safety. On the other hand, the renewal of the increasingly diverse and mixed crowd helped to dilute the hooligan phenomenon. The author, an Anglo-Spanish journalist who has spent his life between two cultures and two different ways of looking at football, has already written several books on the beautiful game and knows many of its protagonists. This is an entertaining and colorful history of the Premier League, full of anecdotes and curiosities about owners, managers, players, fans and even the so-called WAGS (Wife and Girlfriends). In these pages we will also come across the clashes with the Spanish League, with the golden years of Madrid and Barça, with Ronaldo and Messi, and with the Golden Balls.
