James Rodriguez and Luis Suarez are 最新の 星／主役にするs to 長，率いる to La Liga... as the 首相 League takes Spain's cast-offs

• Luis Suarez joins Cristiano Ronaldo and Gareth Bale in Spain
• 首相 League 落ちるing behind La Liga
• Toni Kroos chose Real Madrid over Manchester 部隊d
• 兵器庫 調印する Mesut Ozil and Alexis Sanchez but 基準 is not the same
  

By Garry Doolan

Published: 08:13 BST, 22 July 2014 | Updated: 10:53 BST, 22 July 2014

The sight of Luis Suarez shimmying off to the 約束d land of La Liga while Alexis Sanchez shuffled into 兵器庫 is yet another 調印する the sun is setting on the heyday of the 首相 League.

Much like the sun-餓死するd hordes who stream from our shores to the Costa del Sol each summer,? the true 広大な／多数の／重要なs of football are 長，率いるing to one 目的地. And it’s not dreary old Blighty.

Sure, the 'greatest league in the world' will still be a draw for some. But it is not too much of a stretch to say England is now 単に a home for Spain’s cast-offs.

VIDEO Scroll 負かす／撃墜する to watch Gareth Bale and Toni Kroos with Real Madrid

New boy: Luis Suarez swapped Liverpool for Barcelona this summer in a £75million move

Big dra w: Barca fans will be keen to see their new man in 活動／戦闘 against their 猛烈な／残忍な 競争相手s

In the beginning, there was David Beckham. Spain had not even had their 手渡すs on a European 選手権 when the England midfielder packed his 捕らえる、獲得するs at Old Trafford in 2003 and 受託するd the untold riches 申し込む／申し出d by Real Madrid.

He was closely followed by Michael Owen a year later. Both were undoubted 星／主役にするs for the two En glish clubs with the biggest world-wide 控訴，上告, yet both were cashing in on wealth and 適切な時期 abroad.

Perhaps, though, it was Cristiano Ronaldo’s switch from Old Trafford to the Bernabeu in 2009 which was the clearest 指示する人（物） that the 首相 League was no longer the go-to place for the game’s greatest talents.

Ronaldo had undoubtedly latched on to a football nation on the up when he switched to Spain just a year before their first World Cup 勝利.

最高の，を越す Gunner: Barcelona sold Alexis Sanchez to 兵器庫 to help 基金 their move for Suarez

首相 League: Diego Costa moved to Chelsea and Ander Herrera to Manchester 部隊d

But 推論する／理由s for his move must go deeper than that. Manchester 部隊d were still one of the game’s 最高の-力／強力にするs under the leadership of Sir Alex Ferguson; there was every 推論する／理由 for one of the world’s greatest players to stay at one of the 惑星's 首相 clubs.

Real Madrid, にもかかわらず their standing on the world 行う／開催する／段階, have a stark 記録，記録的な／記録する of underachievement in the last five years, with just one league 肩書を与える. 追加するd to that, they have won only three European Cups since the 1960s.

Ronaldo is not alone, there is now a talent drain to Spain. にもかかわらず Real’s 欠如（する） of 最近の 業績／成就, Gareth Bale, one of Britain’s finest players of a 世代, still saw fit to move to Madrid from Tottenham last year.?

記録，記録的な／記録する breakers: Real Madrid broke the world 移転 記録，記録的な／記録する twice, first with the 調印 of Ronaldo then Bale

VIDEO All 星／主役にする XI: Ronaldo 最高潮の場面s

Perfect tenth: Bale celebrates winning the 支持する／優勝者s League, Real's 10th European Cu p, in his first season

手配中の，お尋ね者: Manchester 部隊d were 利益／興味d in Toni Kroos but the World Cup 勝利者 chose Real Madrid

The 首相 League’s best reply was for 兵器庫 to 賭事 Mesut Ozil.

This summer, Spain gets Suarez, we get Sanchez; Manchester 部隊d 手配中の，お尋ね者 Toni Kroos, he went to Madrid; Spain gets Colombia’s World Cup Golden Boot 勝利者 James Rodriguez, and we can’t 最高の，を越す that.

The money on 申し込む／申し出 from Spain’s 主要な clubs is undoubtedly one of the biggest 誘惑するs for players on the 移転 merry-go-一連の会議、交渉／完成する.

But even if the 首相 League’s 主要な clubs stump up 十分な cash to tempt Messi, Ronaldo, Rodriguez et al, there are inescapable realities which will always give Espana the 辛勝する／優位.

Madridista: Golden Boot 勝利者 James Rodriguez is on the 瀬戸際 of a move to Spain

Golden balls: Beckham moved to Madrid after 落ちるing out with Manchester 部隊d boss Sir Alex Ferguson

Red-letter day: Michael Owen also made the move to Madrid, from Liverpool

The attraction of 気候 and lifestyle should never be underestimated by British clubs 試みる／企てるing to land the 主要な players.

But there is a harsher, more blunt reality. The physicality of the 首相 League, one of the 推論する／理由s it stands proud, is also one of its biggest drawbacks.

Chelsea and Manchester City may believe they can buck the 傾向, but money doesn't buy you everything. When it comes to the true legends of the game, the pockets of the 首相 League’s 最高の，を越す clubs will never be 深い enough to 打ち勝つ the other 障害s.

And Spain will continue to 統治する.

Return: Fabregas returns to the 首相 league after failing to make the 削減（する） at Barcelona

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