The NFL’s Influence on European Football and Global Football Dynamics

The recent NFL game at the Bernabéu Stadium serves as a visible symbol of the encroachment of American sports into the esteemed realm of European football.

The appearance of the lively teams from the Dolphins and the Commanders, complete with their vibrant paraphernalia and cheerleaders, marks an invitation to the American audience to witness the extravagant and costly renovations of the stadium. Coincidentally, this event also follows the week in which an American fund acquired over 50% of Atlético Madrid.

This phenomenon is not new. Nine out of the twenty teams in the Premier League are owned by American investors, and even the iconic AC Milan is included in this trend. The United States perceives football as a lucrative opportunity for influence and has already dipped its toes into the sport, with plans to dive deeper in the near future. Trump successfully hosted the inaugural Club World Cup, and this summer, the Nations Cup will take place in the U.S., extending to its neighboring countries, Canada and Mexico.

On our part, clubs like Madrid and Barcelona have been stalwarts of the International Champions Cup, a nexus of schemes that led to the failed Super League, not to mention the ongoing debates surrounding Tebas’ match in Miami.

While the influx of American interest and investment (welcome, Mr. Marshall) could be seen as beneficial, it also raises the concern of adopting practices that diverge from the essence of our traditional game. The professional sports culture in the United States operates under different norms than the historical football traditions, which is evident in the impacts we are already experiencing: the attempted establishment of a closed Super League, the introduction of VAR, an increase in interruptions, and the proliferation of officials.

Defending the traditional aspects of football may sound conservative, yet it invites reflection on practical implications. No American sport has achieved the universal footprint of football, despite the significant global proliferation of American culture since World War II—from cinema to Coca-Cola and the English language, which is now a global lingua franca.

Football has expanded across the world with a simple formula that avoids abrupt changes, adopting a measured pace of evolution. However, I am now sensing a frantic urgency to speed up changes, which threatens to disrupt established rules and stray from the game’s roots. While oil-rich investors and sheikhs arrived on European soil with a desire to showcase their wealth, American influence brings a different urgency.

Among the teams already qualified for the World Cup in the United States is Croatia, a young nation that has reached the pinnacle of football alongside Luka Modric. For the former Madrid player and current AC Milan star, this will be his fifth World Cup, joining the exclusive club initiated by Carvajal in 1966, later joined by Matthäus, Márquez, Guardado, Buffon, Messi, and Cristiano Ronaldo. Notably, the latter two players may now raise the bar by participating in their sixth World Cup.

Angola, celebrating its Fiftieth Anniversary as a nation, has hired Argentina for its festivities, with a staggering fee of twelve million dollars. This contract eclipses the previous record held by Real Madrid at three million, highlighting the uniqueness of this arrangement. However, not every year marks a nation’s half-century anniversary, and Angola sought to honor this milestone with a visit from Messi, whose presence was, of course, highly anticipated. As the years go by, the glory of the extraordinary Argentine footballer endures.