01 June 2010

World Cup Squads Say EPL is Tops

Thanks to an analysis at football-rankings.info, here are the numbers of players from various domestic leagues who were present on provisional squads for national teams in the World Cup:

1 England 139
2 Germany 94
3 Italy 93
4 Spain 74
5 France 58
6 Netherlands 47
7 Japan 34
8 Greece 33
9 Mexico 25
10 Portugal 23
11 South Africa 21
12 Honduras 20
12 Korea DPR 20
14 Argentina 19
15 Korea Republic 18
16 Russia 16
16 Switzerland 16
18 Turkey 15
19 Chile 14
19 Denmark 14
21 New Zealand 13
22 Scotland 12
22 USA 12
24 Belgium 10
25 Algeria 8
25 Brazil 8

If you are curious as to which clubs have the most plays on the provisional squads, here is that info:
17 - Chelsea
14 - Barcelona
12 - Liverpool, Panathinaikos, Real Madrid
11 - Ajax, Arsenal, Bayern Munich, Juventus, Tottenham Hotspur
10 - Inter
9 - AC Milan, Everton, Udinese, Wolfsburg
8 - AZ Alkmaar, Basel, Manchester City, Twente Enschede, Valencia, VfB Stuttgart
7 - April 25, Benfica, Hamburger SV, Lyon, Manchester Utd., Marseille, Portsmouth, PSV Eindhoven, Rennes, Villarreal, West Ham Utd.