Steve McManaman: 'La Liga will bring games to the USA'

Atletico Madrid President Enrique Cerezo recently said that Los Colchoneros have agreed to play Barcelona in Miami this December. Given the potential implications of La Liga games in the USA, we asked former Real Madrid footballer Steve McManaman about the idea of La Liga matches being played abroad.  

“It doesn’t surprise me at all [about the news of Barcelona vs. Atletico Madrid possibly moving to Miami],” McManaman told World Soccer Talk. “Javier Tebas is always on the front foot when it comes to making revenue. If he thinks he can make revenue by moving a match to America, he will do it.”

When asked whether a Real Madrid vs. Barcelona league match could be played in the US, ESPN co-commentator McManaman said, “I think it could be.” It all comes down to who will be willing to give up their home match though, he said.

“I will be very surprised in the near future if Real Madrid agree to concede a home game,” ‘Macca’ explained. In his eyes, Los Blancos make too much money playing at the Santiago Bernabéu. Conflicts with Tebas and Real Madrid President Florentino Pérez are also an issue, says McManaman.

On the other hand, Barcelona, with their financial issues, and Atletico Madrid –who have smaller matchday revenue and a smaller global brand than Barcelona and Real Madrid – are perfect teams to bring abroad. 

Whichever teams end up going, McManaman is confident that La Liga matches will be played in the US someday. 

“The market is there, the money is there, and many fans can’t afford to go to Spain. If you can bring the team to them and you can bring a good crowd and good revenue, La Liga will do it.”

For the sake of everything that makes La Liga and European soccer great, let’s hope McManaman is wrong. 

Another step in a worrying trend

La Liga matches abroad would give potentially hundreds of thousands of fans in the US and other countries a once-and-a-lifetime opportunity to see Barcelona, Real Madrid, and other La Liga clubs play in person. 

More importantly for La Liga and its clubs, fans are willing to pay a fortune to go to these matches. Games abroad would mean a massive payday for La Liga clubs.

Barcelona could earn up to $6.5 million from a match in Miami this December. Other clubs would earn less, but it still would be more than a typical match. This is especially true if a team is technically the away side. There’s the money clubs could earn from attracting new fans from these matches. Foreign fans, especially fans in the US, tend to spend more than local ones.

Our Pick: Includes: Bundesliga, LaLiga, FA Cup, & More
Sign Up

Pros and cons of La Liga games in USA

As good as this all sounds for La Liga, there are also significant downsides to moving La Liga matches abroad. 

To start, moving a match to the US means robbing a game from local fans. In an era of increased globalization, home matches are one of the few things that still connect historic clubs to the communities that allowed them to become what they are today. 

Moving matches abroad isn’t just taking one game away; It’s eroding the very thing that makes soccer clubs unique and the reason why fans support them as passionately as they do. 

La Liga moving matches abroad would be a slap in the face to local fans in Spain. It could also open the floodgates for other leagues to the same. The Premier League has already teased a “39th match” idea where clubs would play one extra game after the season outside of the UK. Thankfully, the Premier League killed these plans shortly after they created them. 

A trend of league matches outside of their home countries could also pave the way for things like the Super League. After all, if the clubs show that they are willing to degrade the importance of their national leagues by moving matches abroad, who’s to say they wouldn’t agree to join a more profitable competition at the expense of their leagues? 

LaLiga games abroad are not a good deal for LaLiga and its clubs. Let’s hope that FIFA and the RFEF make the right call and block La Liga’s plans.

Photo: IMAGO / Uwe Kraft.