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The Premier League and La Liga have been competing with each other for the bragging rights of the best league in the world for quite some time now. While the debate used to also involve the Serie A, continuous financial struggles and match-fixing scandals in Italy have effectively turned the argument into a two-horse race.
Admittedly, teams like Bayern, Paris Saint-Germain and Juventus have dominated their domestic competitions for years and are able to compete at international level. However, the lack of a sustained challenged to their thrones make their leagues less interesting.
The strength of the Premier League and La Liga clubs becomes evident after looking at the UEFA Champions League results of the last 20 years. Since 1998, only 4 of the 20 Champions League finals have taken place without an English or Spanish side challenging for the title.
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While the Spanish teams have been dominant in the Champions League, winning the last 4 tournaments, the Premier League has been closing the gap with all 5 of its entrants making it into the last-16 this season.
With that being said, we now take a look at the 5 reasons why the Premier League is currently the best top-flight competition in the world:
#5 Atmosphere
The English weather and the passionate fans make many Premier League matches a lot more interesting than they should be on paper.
While the atmosphere during top matches at historical venues like Anfield and Old Trafford are comparable to the Nou Camp and the Bernabeu, it's the smaller grounds that elevate the Premier League above its Spanish counter-part.
Teams like Burnley and Stoke are dependent on their home crowds in their constant battle against relegation and there is a reason why the question "but can they do it on a cold and rainy night in Stoke?" has become a cult phrase.
The atmosphere in the stadiums doesn't only make the game more lively for neutral viewers, but it also contributes to a lot of upsets by lower-placed sides against the top teams.
The average attendance of a Premier League match last season was about 36,000, whereas the average in La Liga was at around 28,000. Of course, this is partially due to the capacities of the venues, but on the other hand, the Premier League grounds are simply better visited than those of La Liga.
For instance, the average attendance of Espanyol's home matches last season was half of their maximum capacity - something that would be unimaginable in the Premier League.
#4 December madness
The festive schedule of the Premier League is subject to a lot of criticism from the players and managers. Almost every league in Europe has some sort of winter break. However, contrary to this concept, the Premier League even increases the number of games in December.
Barcelona played five matches in December, before having a 12-day break before the Spanish schedule picked up its intensity in January. Manchester City, on the other hand, played nine games in December, a circumstance that made Guardiola severely criticize the congested schedule.
"We're going to kill the players" - Pep Guardiola
The criticism is reasonable, two games in less than 48 hours is certainly a tall task for the players. On the flipside, the fans get to see competitive matches almost every day in December and it is simply heavenly.
There's just nothing quite like the December madness of the Premier League. Having such a large amount of games at your display, while the other leagues are taking a break over the festive period, is something the fans are extremely thankful for and the famous Boxing Day fixtures are an indispensable part of every football fan's calendar.
#3 Competitiveness
Something that separates the Premier League significantly from La Liga is the competitiveness throughout the entire league. While the title races in both leagues seem decided this season, the relegation battle in the Premier League is closer than it is in La Liga.
While Everton, currently in 9th place, are only eight points ahead of Swansea, who sit at the bottom of the table, their respective counterparts in La Liga, Getafe and Malaga, are already 15 points apart.
What makes the Premier League more interesting in this aspect, is that seemingly anyone can beat anyone. While Swansea defeating Liverpool last week is the most recent example, Crystal Palace's recovery this season proves just how competitive this league really is.
The Eagles were at rock-bottom after losing their first seven league matches, then they beat Chelsea at home and after several strong performances, they are not even in the relegation zone at the moment.
Of course, slip-ups by top teams also happen in La Liga, Real Madrid's current campaign more than proves that, however, they are a much rarer sight than in the English top-flight. It's no coincidence, that people say there are no easy games in the Premier League.
#2 Title race
The title race is supposed to be the most exciting part of the league. One of the main reasons why these two leagues are the most interesting to watch in the world, is that their title races aren't decided before the season has even started.
However, the Premier League has one massive advantage over La Liga: the number of contenders. While six different English teams have a reasonable chance of challenging for the title every season, its Spanish counterpart has had a maximum of three consistent contenders over the years.
Spanish football has been absolutely dominated by Real Madrid and Barcelona, with the exception of Atletico's title in 2014. To emphasize just how differently the titles are contested, you just have to look at the top three sides of each league in the past years.
In the last five years, Real Madrid, Barcelona and Atletico Madrid have been the top 3 Spanish sides in every season. Prior to Atletico's stint as part of the top 3, Valencia finished in third place for three consecutive years.
The last time the same three sides finished the season as the Premier League's top teams, was in 2007. The fact that Tottenham Hotspur and Manchester City have joined the traditional top four in the title race, to widen the race between the top six, shows just how competitive the Premier League as not even the UEFA Champions League places are guaranteed anymore.
#1 Derbies
Last but not least, the factor that La Liga couldn't even replicate if it wanted to - the huge number and importance of derbies. With Manchester City's rise to the top, there are eight derbies per season between the top six sides, if you want to class Manchester United v Liverpool as the North West Derby due to their history, that would make ten.
Derbies have a huge implication on the final standings in the Premier League table and the regularity with which they take place ensures a hugely important tie every few weeks. However, it's not only the derbies at the top of the table that cause this unique dynamic in the Premier League.
In particular, the London clubs are kind of unlucky, because the smaller London teams really want to defeat the "big boys" to secure bragging rights in the capital. Derby games are not only unique because of their atmosphere but because of their importance to fans.
While Liverpool don't have a derby against a fellow top six side, the games against Everton are some of the hardest every season, purely because of the pressure from the fans to win the prestigious Merseyside Derby.
While Atletico Madrid vs Real Madrid has become a must-watch derby in Spain, the other derbies in La Liga don't really gain a lot of recognition. How often have you heard people talking about the Barcelona Derby weeks in advance?
Probably not very often. While La Liga undoubtedly has some interesting local rivalries, their importance can't be measured on the same scale as those of the Premier League derbies.
El Clasico may indisputably be the most interesting match in the world, but it simply can't match the number of important rivalries in England, by itself.
