VietNamNet Bridge – The English Premier League is the best league in the world "by definition" (because it is the richest), a feisty Steve McMahon asserts in a conversation with Viet Nam News.


HTML clipboard It's mine: McMahon poses with the FA Cup in HCM City at the Hung Vuong Plaza in District 5. (Photo: VNS)
The former Liverpool midfielder and current ESPN football pundit is accompanying the FA Cup on its ongoing Asian tour. The silverware and McMahon arrived in Viet Nam on Friday.


You have transitioned very successfully from a star midfielder for Liverpool to a famous football pundit at ESPN. Was this a planned move?


It was more by accident. I was a coach in Australia and I left my position. On the way back from Australia, I stopped in Singapore. The producer of ESPN asked me if I could do a ten-day show. I agreed and within the ten days, the producer offered me a full time contract. And that was five years ago.


Vietnamese players find it very difficult to get a job after they retire from football. Do you have any advice for them?


What is most important is (that) while they are in the job, they must have some backup, some knowledge, some education on something that they are doing to do when they finish. So don't wait till you are out of a job. Do it while you are in the job. Educate yourself while you are working, so when you finish the job, you can do something else.


As a developing country, what should Viet Nam do to improve its football standards?


Football is a language, it's a world language. People communicate through football all over the world. So it is important that Viet Nam communicates through football.

Also, authorities need to invest in the system, in the infrastructure. In any organisation, you need infrastructure. You must be able to sustain your business, sustain what you are doing. The quality of players will improve only if you have the coaches and the infrastructure. It's like building a house. You need to lay the foundation first.


All football matches in the Premier League have a high attendance. How do organisers manage that?


It is the product. You can sell the product. The Premier League is very popular; the product's quality is great. So, when the quality gets better, and this (applies to) all over Asia, not only in Viet Nam, then you get the attendance as well. People will go to see quality. So the better the football, the better the attendance.

There has been criticism in many quarters that the English Premier League has become a little predictable, with the title always won by big names like Manchester United, Arsenal or Chelsea. What is your opinion?

Arsenal has not won it (the title) in six years. The English Premier League is the best league in the world. It's the richest league in the world. By definition it is the best. Let me ask you a question. Who is going to win the Spanish League? There are only two teams – Barcelona and Real Madrid. Who will win the Scottish League? The Celtics or the Rangers. Who is going to win the Italian Serie A? AC Milan or Inter Milan. In England, we have five to six teams (in contention).


Who do you consider the best club and player in the world at the moment?


Lionel Messi is best player in the world in the moment. Barcelona is the best team in the world at the moment.


VietNamNet/Viet Nam News