An English night in Portugal

Porto, May 28

After a season in which Europe’s traditional powerhouses stumbled, Saturday’s Champions League final between Manchester City and Chelsea is a showcase for the contemporary dominance of England’s Premier League. Neither club can boast a rich pedigree at this level — City are making their debut on this stage while Chelsea will be featuring in their third Champions League final, having won the competition in 2012.

It is an ‘all-English’ final but both teams highlight the Premier League’s ability to recruit the finest coaching and playing talent from across the continent and beyond. City are coached by Spaniard Pep Guardiola, who won the competition twice when guiding Barcelona, while Chelsea’s German boss Thomas Tuchel led Paris St Germain to the final last season, where they were beaten by Bayern Munich.

Both have benefited from their foreign owners’ willingness to invest in top international talent with City’s Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan from Abu Dhabi and Chelsea’s Russian backer Roman Abramovich constantly providing the millions needed.

It is the second all-English Champions League final in three years, confirming the long-standing fears of debt-ridden Spanish giants Real Madrid and Barcelona that the unmatched global commercial success of the Premier League will eventually be replicated on the field. — Reuters

Today on TV

Champions League F inal
Manchester city vs Chelsea
00:30am (sunday)

Sony Ten