Former Indian coach: Football is a team sport, and the ownership of a major championship should not have an impact on individual awards

In an interview with The Athletic, former Indian coach Stephen Constantine said that football is a team sport and does not think that the championship of the competition has any impact on individual awards.

Stephen Constantine: "Most people will look at a player's performance on the pitch and judge him by that, I'll look at what the player has done for the game and where he's come from and ask himself what he needs to do to get to where he is. ”

"Some players are forced to sponsor 20 or 30 different families because they are blackmailed. If you don't pay the money, his family who stays in Europe will be in trouble. This condition means that it is much more difficult for most African players to reach the pinnacle of football than players from other continents. ”

"I don't think winning a big tournament has any impact on individual awards, football is still a team sport, it's not tennis. If a player misses an important individual award because another player on his team made a mistake, or like Salah (who suffered an injury in the 2018 Champions League final), and it's not his fault, is that really fair? ”

Konstantin said he had discussed their FIFA Player of the Year vote with the captain of the national team, and the results were almost always Messi or Cristiano Ronaldo. He believes that for emerging stars, it is difficult to break the cycle of Mero, not only because of the ability of each player, but also because of their perception of greatness, which is defined by the Champions League.

La Liga and the Premier League remain the most rated leagues in the world, but over the past 20 years, La Liga's competitiveness has been declining, with Atletico and Warren each having 2 league titles, Barca 10 and Real Madrid 6. In contrast, the Premier League title is less predictable, with a total of 6 champions.

Konstantin isn't the only one who thinks it's easier to perform well in La Liga because there are fewer tough games in La Liga and more tough fights in the Premier League. This, in turn, makes it easier for Real Madrid and Barca to prepare for the Champions League, while Premier League clubs are more difficult.

Constantine: "The Champions League brand plays a more important role in the minds of the players, it's the game that every player wants to play. This desire makes it more likely that the captain of the national team will vote for the best performer of the Champions League winning team in the FIFA best player vote.

（mageth）