Today, football is bigger than ever. The number of followers is ever-increasing and the money involved has reached epic proportions. But what has actually happened to the standard of play and how does it compare to years gone by?

There is no doubting that advances in technology and the increasing money in the sport has led to some major changes being implemented throughout the sport, even at grass roots level. When Arsene Wenger joined Arsenal much was made of the way he was able to change the philosophy of how a professional footballer should live their life. Never before had the diets and the training regimes of players been so closely monitored. The almost instantaneous success he achieved made others take notice.

It could be argued that these improvements have made people more athletic. In fact, perhaps they have contributed to the evolution of the human race. If you were to look at the world record for the 100m sprint, over time it has kept dropping – maybe people are evolving and becoming faster. The same could be said for the marathon.

Either way, there has clearly been a step up in terms of the standard of athlete. This is no exception for football. Many people talk about the great players of the past such as Maradona and Pelé. Whilst it is almost impossible to compare players of different eras, it would be very interesting to see if these players would still be stand-outs if they played in today’s game. You often see players with a very high standard of technical ability struggle in the top leagues today. It has become a requisite that every player is not only technically brilliant, but also a super athlete. I often ask myself whether Maradona would have been able to keep pace in a league such as the Premiership today with the lifestyle he used to live.

It seems clear that to excel in the world of football today you must be incredibly dedicated. Players cannot afford to live the lifestyle that many footballers did in the past otherwise the results will be obvious on the pitch. Two of the greats of English football, George Best and Bobby Moore, could be seen down the pub after the game on a Saturday. If that were to happen in today’s game, it would lead to them being fined or even sacked.

In the modern game, not only do players train more, but they train in more sophisticated, scientific ways. The improvements in technology (e.g. the pitches, the boots and the training equipment) have led to more effective time spent on the training ground. In my opinion, this has resulted in players also being technically better than they ever have been. With players being stronger, fitter and quicker, it seems almost inhuman the way Lionel Messi can waltz round a whole team. In older times, when George Best used to play, teams would often only have very small squads. This meant that players often had to play through injury, especially with the medical facilities being far less effective. When you look at it this way, does what George Best did compare to what Messi does today? In my eyes it is a clear no.

Yet there is still a majority who would regard the great players of past generations as the best ever. I often wonder whether people consider the overall improving standards or just judge it by who stood out the most from their generations.

It is disappointing that we will never find out how many of these players compared, but judging by the improvements that have been made in the last fifty years, the future of football looks very exciting indeed.

Written By Matt Ellis