Ronaldo's New Contract Shows Allure of Premiership

Cristiano Ronaldo’s decision to sign a five year extension to his contract at Manchester United is a sign of how England is becoming, as EPL Talk blogger Kartik calls it, the “epicenter of world football.”

Many pundits, myself included, expected Ronaldo to sign with Real Madrid or Barcelona this summer. But in a year when both of the Spanish supergiants failed to qualify for the quarter-finals of the Champions League, it’s another sign that the pendulum has swung in the favor of English football.

Foreign managers are making eyes at the Premiership (Sevilla’s Juande Ramos has also dropped hints that he’d like to manage in the EPL). And more foreign players, too, will be following the money to England this summer as they know that the Premier League clubs have massive amounts of money to spend resulting from the new lucrative TV deal.

Right now, English club football is more powerful than it has ever been. The amount of money coming into the game is enormous. The global appeal among TV viewers is gigantic. Three of the four finalists in the Champions League are English clubs. And the quality of play on the pitch, while not as technically skilful as La Liga, is entertaining to watch.

With Ronaldo deciding to put his money with Manchester United, this could be the turning point for more La Liga players to head to England. Not just foreign players, but La Liga superstars such as Samuel Eto’o, David Villa, Fernando Torres, Dani Alves and possibly even Riquelme.

The 2007/2008 Premiership season promises to be awe-inspiring.