I love talking about soccer. Sometimes, this means chatting with other die-hard fans about different players, clubs, tactics, or anything niche thing in the world of fútbol I can think of. But, other times, I'll find myself talking soccer to someone who doesn't really know a whole lot about the game.
Naturally in these conversations, I want the person I'm chatting with to know what the hell I'm talking about. So, I usually try to draw comparisons to other sports that they may be more familiar with - NBA, NFL, MLB etc.
When I'm asked to "explain in basketball terms", I've found myself racking my brain to think of good comparisons for different teams around the world, and it can be tough to think of on the spot.
So finally, I just sat down and wrote it all out. Here is my list of five major soccer clubs around the world, and their American Sports counterparts:
1) Manchester United = Dallas Cowboys
Manchester United's Cristiano Ronaldo and The Dallas Cowboy's Dak Prescott (Via Red Devil Armada and MARCA)
Big spending, huge fanbases, lots of haters
Both teams have some of the biggest fanbases in the world for either sport, and both consistency find themselves on the annual Forbes Most Valuable Sports Teams list. Which means, they're gonna be some of the most hated. That's just how sports work.
Historically successful, but recently disappointing
Both clubs enjoy being among the most decorated organizations in their respective sport, but neither have really won anything recently. The Cowboys haven't won the Super Bowl since '95 and United haven't won the Prem since 2012/13.
Incompetent Ownership
As you could probably imagine, a combination of these last two bullets is not a good formula for being a well-liked owner. Big markets expect big things, especially when big money is being spent. Thus, The Glazer family and Jerry Jones have both certainly heard an earful from their fans recently...
2) Liverpool = Boston Red Sox
Mohamed Salah of Liverpool and JD Martinez of the Red Sox (Via Premier League and BoSox Injection)
They are literally owned by the same people
Fenway Sports Group bought the Red Sox in 2001 and Liverpool in 2010. As far as comparing two clubs goes, being owned by the same people is probably a good start.
Both had long droughts followed by recent success
The Red Sox famously broke the "Curse of the Bambino" back in 2004, ending an 86 year trophy-less run for the ball club, while Liverpool's 2020 Prem title was their first league victory since the 1989/90 season.
The vibes are the same
That's just the best way I can describe it. These clubs just feel similar. Same color scheme, same "team-spirit" attitude, and both clubs have a weird "underdog" mentality to them despite having far more success and far greater spending than most other teams. Even the city of Boston and the city of Liverpool feel similar to me in a cold, rainy, blue-collar way...
3) Man City = Golden State Warriors
Man City's Kevin De Bruyne and Golden State's Steph Curry (Via Sports Illustrated and NBC Sports)
Historically mediocre, but recently phenomenal
They both just felt like nobodies...until they were very much somebodies. Both teams exploded into the top of their sport's power-rankings in the 2010's, and neither have looked back.
If you've ever met a fan of either of these teams in the early 2000's - you're probably lying
Recent success means recent fans. That's just how sports work (again). Both sets of fans can get under the skin of their opponent's longstanding supporters, who understandably are frustrated by these recent developments.
Both examples of the "modern super team"
Both teams have undeniably built some of the most impressive and successful squads of all time. In fact, both teams have been so good, that there have been questions in both sports about whether it's "good for the game". Golden State's record breaking seasons have spurred the "super team" debate in NBA circles for years now, and City's recent spending habits have raised many conversations about 'Financial Fair Play'
4) Real Madrid = New York Yankees
Karim Benzema of Real Madrid and Aaron Judge of the Yankees (Via The Guardian and New York Post)
Big Cities, Big Spenders, big haters
Both teams reside in their nation's biggest city, and both teams spend accordingly. Sometimes, they don't always spend the most intelligently, but if you throw enough money at something it usually works eventually, as it has for these two uber-successful clubs. As you can imagine, this is not always well-liked by their competitors and their fans...
Fans beyond their boarders
While both teams have massive fanbases in their respective cities, they are both famous for how well they've extended their brand not just domestically, but internationally too. I'm pretty sure you could find someone in a Madrid kit or a Yankees hat in any corner of the world at this point.
Classic feel
The Yankees have donned the classy and iconic pinstripes for well over a century now, and Madrid have been dominating in the all white "los blancos" look for so long that they've managed to all but trademarked wearing all white on the pitch. There's just something classic about those whiteout looks...
5) Barcelona = New England Patriots
Lionel Messi in his Barcelona days and Tom Brady in his Patriots days (Via Sky News and People)
Recent Dynasties
Both organizations absolutely dominated the 2010's, with Barca winning 6 La Liga titles between 2010-2018, and The Pats winning 3 Super Bowls between 2015-2019. In fact, they both lifted their league titles simultaneously in 2015 and 2017.
GOAT Status...until they left
Throughout all of these recent titles, much of their success can be attributed to one man in both of these cases: Tom Brady for the Patriots, and Lionel Messi for FC Barcelona. Both players became synonymous with their organization, spending their whole adult careers there and racking up countless individual and team awards in the process...that is until they left. Now, both teams find themselves in a "Post-GOAT" era, and both are yet to win their league since.
Weird Northeastern province/territory thing going on
A bit of a random comparison, but FC Barcelona reside in the northeastern "Autonomous Community" of Catalonia. Basically, it's a region of Spain that has been vying for their independence from mainland Spain for many years. And, while most NFL teams represent just a single city, The Patriots represent all of New England, which encompasses the entire northeast region of the U.S. and includes 6 separate states. AND, they both proudly represent this weird region of their respective country by wearing dark blue jerseys with red accents. Random, but super similar when you think about it...
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