7 moments that popularized European clubs among Indians

Indian football might have been in ruins for ages, but football, as a sport, has never been more popular in this country. This widespread following has to be attributed to European football, especially the English game.As the English FA drew an ambitious plan in the early 90s to extend the wings of their first division league, football clubs started investing in global marketing to reach unchartered territories all over the world. As the money started pouring in, European football was able to amplify its following as clubs recruited world superstars and acquired its own legion of supporters.India soon caught up with this contagious phenomenon and has slowly turned into one of the biggest markets for European football. Millions of football fans now can be seen in sports pubs across the country every weekend, cheering their respective clubs on. Indians are also one of the most active supporters on social media and content platforms, regularly engaging in banter and discussions. We look at those landmark moments which inspired Indians to start following the elite clubs of Europe.

#1 Manchester United 1998/99 treble

On that historic day in Barcelona, Solksjaer didn’t just win the Champions League for Manchester United, but he also won a huge legion of football fans across the world, a supporter base which after a decade would go on to make Manchester United the most followed and celebrated sports club in the world.

Although Manchester United had been one of the most popular football clubs globally for a good part of the late twentieth century and continued success under Sir Alex during with the advent of the Premier League era had put the Red Devils on the world map, but the real breakpoint in terms of global outreach and popularity came after their glorious 1998/99 treble-winning season which ended with a sensational last-minute comeback victory over Bayern Munich in the UEFA Champions League.

With the Premier League reaching numerous shores and nations with every passing season, football fans across the world began identifying with United’s successful brand of football and players of the likes of David Beckham, Ryan Giggs, Eric Cantona played their part in making Manchester United a truly global phenomena.

#2 Liverpool Istanbul 2005

Liverpool had been the most successful and popular English club in the old First Division, having consistently won major domestic and continental league trophies. But, the club started to wane away in terms of competitiveness and stature with the advent of the Premier League era and began to be overshadowed by the emergence of Manchester United, Arsenal and Chelsea.

Some Indians were long-standing loyal Liverpool supporters, but the Merseyside club largely failed to capitalise on the growing popularity of the Premier League across the globe. Although they won the FA Cup and the UEFA Cup at the turn of the century, but Liverpool’s big break came in a historic night in Istanbul with the Champions League triumph over AC Milan.

Liverpool’s sensational comeback victory (on penalties) after going down by three goals was the stuff that dreams are made of. Rafa Benitez and his well-crafted team won Liverpool their fifth European crown after a gap of 21 years. Liverpool’s ambition to be again counted as an elite English club, their illustrious history, local talent (Gerrard and Carragher) and their fierce rivalry with Manchester United (who had already created a huge fanbase in India) inspired many Indian fans to join the Liverpool bandwagon.

#3 Arsenal The Invincibles

Arsenal were and always have been one of the top clubs of English football for a very long time. But their popularity was limited to the British Isles before a certain Frenchmen was given charge of the club, a Frenchmen who changed the face of this football club forever. Arsene Wenger arrived at Highbury in ’96, and with him brought a set of philosophies which after a few years transformed Arsenal into a global brand.

Arsenal won various major trophies in the first few years under Wenger, but the real shift from a British club to an international entity occurred during their glorious 2003/04 ‘Invincibles’ Premier League season. With a splendid line-up made up of global superstars (Henry, Bergkamp, Gilberto, Pires, Ljungberg, Vieira), Arsenal took the world by storm as they remained unbeaten throughout the league season.

This incredible season caught the attention of numerous football fans who had just started following English football and the passion, commitment and glory of that season fostered a feeling of victory and belonging in football aficionados in India.

#4 Chelsea First Mourinho era

Chelsea Football Club is a genuine success story of the Premier League era. A club, which had won the old First Division title just once in its long history, was bought by Russian billionaire Roman Abramovich in 2003. Few would have imagined that the Russian, with his extravagant amount of riches, would turn Chelsea from an average domestic side into a triumphant unit of world-class footballers.

While Abramovich pumped millions of pounds to build his dream club by buying several top footballers, his real masterstroke was to convince prodigal manager Jose Mourinho to help accomplish his dream. The Portuguese had announced himself on the world stage with a remarkable Champions League triumph with Porto and his managerial acumen and ingenuity was already the talk of the European football circuit.

Mourinho replaced Claudio Ranieri at the beginning of the 04/05 season. In the next two seasons, Mourinho and his men created history by winning two consecutive league titles, finishing well clear of other title contenders and creating a legacy that would lay the foundation for an even more successful future.

The élan and the domination with which Chelsea went about under Mourinho attracted millions of Indian fans, who caught up with the rising popularity of the English game, to join the Chelsea bandwagon.

#5 Real Madrid Galacticos Champions League 2002

It was the first time in the history of world football that Asia (Japan/South Korea 2002) had the honour of hosting a big tournament of the stature of the FIFA World Cup. Football got a shot in the arm as Asian nations followed the tournament closely and millions of people started watching and enjoying the beautiful game. The star of the tournament, Ronaldo, mesmerised the world with his magic and fans watching across India, South-East Asia and Gulf became instant fans of the Brazilian.

Meanwhile, Real Madrid had been making waves in world football by flexing their financial muscle and recruiting the best footballers in the world season after season. In 2001, they signed the World Footballer of the Year, Luis Figo from their fierce Rivals Barcelona. The next season, they signed French wizard Zinedine Zidane in what was slowly unfolding as an ambitious policy to create the ultimate team, Los Galacticos, masterminded by their President Florentino Pérez.

The influx of such world-class players brought instance success to Real Madrid. They won the Champions League in 01/02 and were crowned Spanish champions for consecutive seasons in ’02 and ’03. Such a star-studded squad made Real Madrid a household name across the planet and the club has to attribute its global appeal to the fan following of its star players rather than to the success of the club itself.

#6 Barcelona Ronaldinho

India’s love-affair with the Blaugrana has its roots in the spell-binding stage orchestrated by Ronaldinho. He inspired the world with his trickery and mastery with the ball and his fanatic fan following traversed not just Spain and Brazil, but the millions of football enthusiasts across the world. It is primarily because of this man that Indians started following Barcelona as a football club.

Ronaldinho and his squadron of stalwarts stewarded by Frank Rijkaard enthralled the world with their distinctive style of football, winning several major trophies in a period of continued success and prosperity for the Catalonians. The Ronaldinho-Rijkaard era saw Barca win the coveted Champions League crown (in 2006) for only the second time in their history. They also dominated the domestic circuit, winning the league title in 04/05 and 05/06 and several Barcelona players were consistently touted as the best footballers in world football.

Barcelona were building a foundation which would bring laurels to not only the club but also to the country in the near future and the likes of Xavi, Iniesta, Eto’o and Messi were part of a revolution which made Barcelona into a global sensation which enchanted swarms of Indian fans who had caught the world football fever.

#7 Bayern Munich Jupp Heynckes\' treble

Germany have produced some of the best players in world football. They’ve consistently been ranked among the top international sides in the world. And this success has to be attributed to their well-structured domestic league system with an onus on producing and promoting local talent. But the Bundesliga had failed to gather any steam on a global stage owing to poor coverage and broadcast.

That changed at the beginning of this decade as Indian sports channels began to broadcast the German league on a more regular and consistent basis. Bayern Munich, who had dominated German football since the league’s inception got a platform to show their class to a more widespread audience. But a lack of serious competition diluted the dynamics of rivalries and banter, which is the biggest source of engagement for football fans in foreign countries, and the emergence of Borussia Dortmund as a credible force set Munich back.

Although the Bavarians picked up 22 trophies in 13 years (1998-2011) under three different managers (Ottmar Hitzfeld, Felix Magath & Louis van Gaal), but it was under the second spell of Jupp Heynckes, which began in 2011, that Bayern Munich really caught the attention of Indian football fans. With a star-studded squad comprising mostly of the best German national players, Bayern fought off the challenge of Borussia Dortmund to win a historic treble which included a Champions League victory of Dortmund.

Bayern Munich’s visit to India in 2012 to take part in Baichung Bhutia’s farewell match too played its part in popularising the club in this country.