The Never-Ending Debate: The English Premier League or La Liga?

Year after year, players leave clubs, managers are sacked, but one question on the mind of every European football fan remains; "Which league is superior—the Premier League or La Liga?"

I have thought extensively about this question and I have arrived at the conclusion that there can never be a definite answer. Almost every answer appears to be a "value judgement."

Some members of this community, I believe, will dismiss this question altogether because they believe that Serie A (Italy's Premier Division) or the Bundesliga (Germany's Premier Division) are "superior" in one way or another.

Before we go on, we need to assess, what exactly, we want to determine by "superior."

The UEFA Champions League comes across as a common factor used by football fanatics when comparing the two leagues.

If the European showcase is used, then on recent history the Barclays Premier League is undoubtedly better.

Manchester United won the trophy last season in Moscow, in what was an all-English final against Chelsea.

AC Milan won it the previous year, Barcelona in 2006, and Liverpool in 2005, "in the miracle of Istanbul."

Clubs from Italy, England, and Spain have won Europe's premier trophy, 11 times each.

Perhaps more importantly, it appears English clubs are dominating the final stages of the Champions League. Besides last season's all-English final, this season three of the last four teams are from England—namely Manchester United, Arsenal, and Chelsea.

If Barcelona fail to defeat Chelsea, we are assured of another all-English final, which is why football enthusiasts around the globe will be glued to their television sets during the two legs of the semifinal.

There is more money in the Premier League. I'm talking sponsorship and big money transfers. Fernando Torres, Robinho, etc., but that doesn't exactly make it better, does it?

The Champions League's all-time leading scorer represents Spain—Real Madrid's Raul.

Now keeping the Champions League aside, lets look at what the leagues themselves have to offer.

They both have big name players with the likes of Cristiano Ronaldo and Steven Gerrard in England and Lionel Messi and David Villa in Spain.

The Premier League represents a more "physical" side of the game, it's always a "man for man," "body for body" game. All those crunching tackles flying in are rarely seen in Spain, except, of course, when Pepe loses his head and goes kicking players around.

The La Liga is more about flair, skill, and technique. There's a build up to every goal, unlike the Premier League where around 40% of the goals are long distance strikes and 36% are headers or tap-in's from balls launched into the box from 30-60 yards away from the goal.

However, the presence of Cristiano Ronaldo, Robinho, and Samir Nasri means every bit of trickery in the book is seen on the pitch.

Aggression is present, likewise with Wayne Rooney and dare I say, Pepe.

In conclusion, as I stated earlier, no league is definitely better than the other.

Yet, Barcelona's Xavi recently claimed that La Liga was better than the Premier League "in every way."

I hope the article didn't seem biased in anyway.

Be sure to let us know, which league, in your opinion, is superior?