There is something special about the world of soccer. It captivates audiences and like no other sport because it is the one sport that brings people from all different parts of the world together. One of the leagues where this is most evident is the UEFA Champions League. The Champions League is a tournament that takes the top for teams from every major league in Europe and play for the trophy.
This idea seems like a good way to bring many different styles of soccer together and see who is king of Europe however there is one problem, Real Madrid and Barcelona always win. Over the passed ten years both teams have won six titles together. This seems normal as some teams go through periods of extreme success or golden ages. Some fans however, have pointed to other reasons for their Champions League success such as rigged team drawings, betting and referee bias.
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One example people usually point to is the recent team drawing of this year where the host seems to choose a specific ball on purpose as if to fix the game intentionally in this video. This seems to the naked eye like a clear case of match fixing but people forget that the team that was drawn was a very tough team, Atletico Madrid. Atletico and Real are always very evenly matched in the champions league which does not make sense as to why they would purposely draw Atletico.
Some fans also critique the refs and the betting ring that seems to surround European soccer in recent years. Although betting in soccer is a problem I don’t think a professional referee would want to be banned for life off of a bet, which is the punishment from UEFA for fixing games. A big thing that people forget is that both teams have two of the best players in the world right now in the form of Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi. Both of whom flourish in the Champions League every season and even though they are now in their mid thirties. They are the reason for their teams success and the reason why their teams win consistently. The champions league gives them a platform to show their talent and play against teams they normally would not play in their league. Both teams win because of their star player not because of match fixing or rigging the system.
