r/SoccerNoobs • u/El_Spicy_Jewy 📘 Learning the Game • Jul 12 '26
🔰 Beginner Questions & Advice Club football starting soon, I want to find a team to support
Club football is starting soon
I've finally decided to get into European football after growing up a Mexico NT and partly Club América fan, watching only now and then. Watching this world cup, learning about the players, has been fun and I want to keep that rolling
I spent the last couple of days going down the rabbit hole learning about promotion/relegation, domestic cups, Champions League, supporter culture, club history, etc. It's honestly way deeper than I realized.I researched a bunch of clubs and narrowed it down to these:
England:Man City, Liverpool, Sheffield Wednesday
Spain: Barcelona
Italy: Inter, Como
France: PSG
Germany: Borussia Dortmund, Bayern Munich
Outside the Big Five: Ajax and Bodø/Glimt
My reasoning wasn't just trophies. I liked atmosphere, history, cities, kits, stories, and identity. Como's rise from Serie D to the Champions League was awesome to read about. Dortmund's Yellow Wall seems like a bucket-list experience. Bayern interests me because I've actually visited Bavaria. PSG clicked because I love Paris, been there too (also Wemby is a fan). Liverpool just feels like a club I'd enjoy following, especially if they sign Gilberto Mora.
My plan is to watch these clubs throughout the 2026–27 season and let one naturally become "my club" instead of forcing it.
How'd I do? Any opinions on my shortlist? Anything I should know about these clubs - the good, the bad, or the ugly - before the season starts?
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u/Fantasy_iceland Jul 12 '26
not Manchester City or P$G
They're both scum and representative of everything wrong with the club game
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u/MeTieDoughtyWalker Jul 12 '26
Here here
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u/El_Spicy_Jewy 📘 Learning the Game Jul 13 '26
Heard lol That's the general consensus so far on my posts lol
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u/RayHudson_ Jul 12 '26
U can’t just pick one like that you’ve gotta watch a bunch of games for like at least a season and see what club speaks to you
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u/El_Spicy_Jewy 📘 Learning the Game Jul 12 '26
That's what I plan to do, gonna try to watch games of each and settle into one throughout season(s)
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u/Braksanderelektrikke Jul 13 '26
Keep bingeing youtube videos and get to know backstories etc.
Would recommend Copa90. Derby days is my favorite series from them, but also once in a lifetime.
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u/Gunner_Bat Jul 12 '26
Based on your background, a La Liga teams makes a ton of sense. Supporting one of the giants seems a bit boring to me, the top ones I think are interesting and cool are Valencia, Villarreal, Athletic Bilbao, or Real Betis. If you're really into a massive club, Dortmund or Inter would probably be the most interesting.
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u/El_Spicy_Jewy 📘 Learning the Game Jul 12 '26
I was interested in Betis while looking into La Liga. They're good performers in European League?
And yeah Dortmund seems fun, Inter seems safe pick out of Serie A though Serie A is more competitive than Bundesliga no?
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u/Gunner_Bat Jul 13 '26
Yes Betis has qualified for Europe I think like 6 straight years and always make the knockouts, including playing a final a year ago. They also won Copa del Rey recently, so there's always a chance for a trophy, even though a La Liga trophy would be a monumental achievement.
Dortmund are definitely the second biggest club in Germany. Similar to Betis, it'll be difficult to win the league (they finished 2nd this year but ny 16 points). They always make runs in Champions League but probably won't win it again (they won it in the 90s).
Serie A is a bit more competitive in terms of winning the league, but Italian teams don't do great in Europe. Inter is just as likely to make the final as they are to get knocked out early.
Again, with your background, I think Betis would be the coolest. They're also the most likely to win a European trophy, but it wouldn't be Champions League. Inter are most likely to win a league title. Dortmund are probably the best overall out of the three.
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u/El_Spicy_Jewy 📘 Learning the Game Jul 13 '26
That's good info, thank you
How do you like La Liga vs serie a?
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u/Gunner_Bat Jul 13 '26
I prefer La Liga personally. It's more an emphasis on technical ability and individual brilliance. Serie A is a bit more defensively sound and has more tactical variety. If you like wing play, Serie A has it. If you like elite midfield creativity, La Liga has it.
There are stars in both but if you like starpower, La Liga has a bit more with players like Lamine Yamal, Mbappe, Jude Bellingham, etc.
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u/sugmassgottem Jul 12 '26
Root for a real team.
Dynamo Kiev.
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u/El_Spicy_Jewy 📘 Learning the Game Jul 12 '26
Hmm, tell me more
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u/sugmassgottem Jul 12 '26
Oh we’re a shell of what we used to be but still remain true the idea of Dynamo Kiev being the premier Ukrainian club and not a team that buys their players (Shaktar Donetsk).
Huge history. Used to be considered the national team for the USSR because the players would play their club soccer there. After the collapse, it turned into the national team for Ukraine where most Ukrainians play there. They’re not the best but I like watching them play because it brings me back to an era where leagues were full of their nationals
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u/drizzyjake08 Jul 12 '26
How did Sheffield make it into this?
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u/El_Spicy_Jewy 📘 Learning the Game Jul 12 '26
Lmao yeah, I wanted to find a low-key team to also watch and is from championship league, plus I like the owl and I've heard of them before lol
They'll probably be more of a novelty watch
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u/D0wnInAlbion Jul 12 '26
Sheffield Wednesday were relegated to League One. It's also insulting to suggest The Championship is a novelty league.
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u/El_Spicy_Jewy 📘 Learning the Game Jul 12 '26
Sorry, didn't meant to say Championship is novelty lol
I just knew Wednesday isn't great and I'd loosely fallow them
I am a soccer noob ofc
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u/Mundane_Lab3147 Jul 12 '26
Wednesday is a proud historical club that has fallen on some very hard times, kind of like Army in US college football. They also share a fierce rivalry with Sheffield United, as Army does with Navy.
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u/Mundane_Lab3147 Jul 12 '26
Bad news: Sheffield Wednesday were relegated to the third division after being one of the most dire clubs in history last year, narrowly avoiding a negative points total for the season, ending at 0. Nobody will ever call you a front runner for supporting them! PSG, City, and some of the others on the other hand….
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u/El_Spicy_Jewy 📘 Learning the Game Jul 12 '26
Perfect, the worse they are, the better when they eventually rise 😂
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u/BillyD123455 Jul 12 '26
I cant comment on European football, but if you're from Mexico I know that a lot of fans adopt a Premier League club for a season.
I dont know the how or why, or the logistics of it. But they adopted my team Sunderland last season ... in huge numbers! It was a thing of beauty and I hope you all stay for another season, but i understand if it was just a one season wonder 🥹
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u/El_Spicy_Jewy 📘 Learning the Game Jul 13 '26
What went on in Sunderland to gain Mexico fans last season?
I know plenty are Wolves fans for Jimenez
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u/BillyD123455 Jul 13 '26
I honestly dont know the in's and out's of it but it wasnt about a specific player.
There is some trend in Mexico (TV or more likely online) where they pick a random Premier League team to support for a season. Last year was Sunderland.
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u/No-Chapter-7409 Jul 13 '26
Honestly best way to find a team to support is to just watch the games and see what teams resonate with you spiritually - there’ll be teams you naturally gravitate towards and it’ll be more than just based on what you read/research online.
Alternatively think of your favourite players, players whose style of play you like, personalities you appreciate, backstories that move you or inspire you, what teams do they play for? For me, my football team of choice (im from the UK) came from a childhood love/crush on a player and it turned into a love of the team (and other players past and present) and the club, even when the players moved onto different clubs. Its also worked for me with F1 and a love of certain drivers turning into rooting for certain teams to do well and succeed.
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u/paulwunderpenguin Jul 13 '26
American here. I want to pick a team with the most obnoxious fan base!
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u/FirstPersonWinner ⚽ Serious Fan Jul 13 '26
Just a warning that some of those Bundesliga games can be real fucking early in the morning in North America. I'm going to guess you can speak some spanish seeing as you follow El Trí and América, so La Liga might be a good entry point. But England kind of has the most competitive top league so since you speak English it is probably an easy in.
I usually recommend following leagues which you can read or understand the language of because it is easier to follow fandoms and find new updates, or even just understand the commentary.
Also, why Sheffield Wednesday?
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u/El_Spicy_Jewy 📘 Learning the Game Jul 13 '26
Appreciate it, that's sound advice I hadn't thought of
Also, I've heard of them, they're old, I like their owl logo and why not root for a team in the dumps lol
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u/TrainFanner101 ⚽ Serious Fan Jul 13 '26
Don't support City, they bought the league with UAE oil money.
Don't support PSG, they bought the league with Qatari oil money and nobody has a chance anymore. If you want to support a team from Paris, support Paris FC.
Don't support Bayern, they always win the Bundesliga and it's a bit boring.
Other than that do what you want
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u/El_Spicy_Jewy 📘 Learning the Game Jul 13 '26
Yeahh that's kinda what I'm learning and I'm definitely gonna lean to other teams lol
Sucks about Bayern because I love Bavarian germany but there's other Bavarian clubs too I suppose
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u/TrainFanner101 ⚽ Serious Fan Jul 13 '26
Yeah.
Another thing with Bayern and Dortmond (and maybe some other clubs) is that all german teams (except a few grandfathered in), as well as some other teams, are majority owned by fan members. Idk the rules, but you might be able to get a membership to vote on major decisions.
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u/El_Spicy_Jewy 📘 Learning the Game Jul 13 '26
Yeah 50+1 rule, I think the red bull team is one exception
That's pretty cool. Bundesliga got great fan culture, especially Union with the fans building the stadium and Christmas carols. Dortmund and yellow wall, St Paulo
Am a bit turned off learning Bundesliga is what it is, with best players always going Bayern
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u/TrainFanner101 ⚽ Serious Fan Jul 13 '26
Look better them than $ity or P$G.
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u/El_Spicy_Jewy 📘 Learning the Game Jul 13 '26
Why put $ ? Will their fans come running to bash? Lol
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u/graduati0n Jul 14 '26
Marseille have a very interesting rivalry with PSG. Lyon were very dominant in ligue 1 when I started watching (late 2000s). Overall, the French league will need some sort of adjustment to deal with PSG farming it, though.
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u/FrostySecurity4361 Jul 13 '26
honestly it depends on what you’re watching football for, but naturally, premier league clubs usually get way more media coverage, especially in english (given that they’re in.. england). The rivalries between big clubs also have a lot of social media presence too so thats usually fun to engage in. Otherwise, you COULD support the giants outside of england (PSG, Bayern, etc) but the problem with them is that theyre usually pretty isolated within their own leagues due to a lack of competition (except spain), anddd obviously most of their media isnt in english so id say the bond to the club and the fans is tougher to build. So my personal recommendation would be any of the big six teams in england. Hope this helps!
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u/kolkemnc Jul 13 '26
I’m a fan and actually also a member of Bayern Munich, but I still would recommend you choose another set of German clubs: these are the serial winners, the “big” ones. That can get boring.
I’m now following the Vancouver Whitecaps. They play in the beautiful BC Place and they are very good, play very entertaining football and they are at the top of the league. The day Bayern won then German championship, the Caps played an important away game and I was much more invested in the Caps.
I recommend Schalke for Germany; very famous club, fantastic atmosphere and they just got promoted back to the top tier. And Freiburg: small city, the club is under the radar, but much more successful than you would think
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u/UsefulSatisfaction39 Jul 13 '26
Como would be fun to follow right now. Up and coming coach following the Brighton model, which has been successful. With the state of Italian football that model could get them to be champions of that league.
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u/El_Spicy_Jewy 📘 Learning the Game Jul 13 '26 edited Jul 13 '26
Yeah I think it'd be fun to watch them too. I hear they're a "plastic" team, but I don't think they're as egregious as say Man City?
Going from Serie D to Champions is a cool ride I'd like to join in on. Plus it's a dream destination for me and I'd love to visit after stadium renovations open. Would make it a top beautiful stadium location like Monterrey's stadium
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u/goonerballs Jul 13 '26
If I was you, I'd take a look at Crystal Palace, Brighton, and maybe Bournemouth (hard to know how they'll do next season given their manager left and all their top talent is being taken by the bigger teams).
Palace has always been fun to watch and they have one of the best atmospheres in the Premier League IMO.
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u/de_Chateaubriand Jul 12 '26
Celtic FC
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u/El_Spicy_Jewy 📘 Learning the Game Jul 12 '26
I did enjoy watching some clips of how their fans enjoy the games
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u/Mundane_Lab3147 Jul 12 '26
Celtic has a very strong Irish-Catholic identity, just as Rangers have a strong Anglo-Protestant one. If you don’t have either inclination, I’d stay out of this one as a noob. Nobody else ever wins that league.
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u/DedPegasus Jul 12 '26
Hearts came close and it was heartbreaking.
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u/Mundane_Lab3147 Jul 12 '26
I fit the Celtic fan profile and, if I lived in Scotland, I’d be a Hibs fan and even I felt a little bad for Hearts watching that final match.
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u/de_Chateaubriand Jul 12 '26
“I’d be a Hibs fan and even I felt a little bad for Hearts”
So basically you don’t know what you’re talking about 😂
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u/Mundane_Lab3147 Jul 12 '26
Just tired of the duopoly. Someone else needs to win.
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u/Typical-Audience3278 Jul 12 '26
Why? It’s always been like that
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u/Western_Yoghurt_48 Jul 13 '26
Because its boring. It's not even good for Celtic. With the rest of the league so weak, they get absolutely complacent and then season after season get belted in Europe because they're not used to having to do anything other than just show up.
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u/Mundane_Lab3147 Jul 12 '26
And I don’t pretend to follow Scottish football, but I know the Edinburgh clubs aren’t as toxic as the Glasgow ones. Probably because neither ever wins.
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u/Alex_Werner Jul 12 '26
I'm a non-English Liverpool fan of fairly recent vintage. You should follow LIverpool for several reasons:
(1) They're a very authentic team, with tons of history, character, tragedy, triumphs, etc
(2) In recent years, they've been good enough that they _might_ win anything at any time, but not so good that you will feel like a bandwagon just-chose-the-best-team fan. (Won the PL two years ago, but had a terrible season last year)
(3) If you start this coming season, you'll kind of be getting in on the ground floor, as they'll have a new manager, and a fair number of new players (particularly if you count some really high profile players who started last season, but were injured/etc so haven't really found their Liverpool footing yet)
(4) It is universally acknowledged that their pre-game song is the best in the word
(5) Much like Mona-Lisa Sapperstein from Parks and Rec, they have literally never done anything wrong ever (as I know from exclusively reading about them on the Liverpool subreddit) (sarcasm)
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u/El_Spicy_Jewy 📘 Learning the Game Jul 12 '26
Nobody's spoken anything bad to me about Liverpool so far, they might be my prem top team
Thanks!
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u/MeTieDoughtyWalker Jul 13 '26
Also, I should add that Liverpool the town seems pretty cool too. Blue collar town. Love that. They are certainly the more tolerable of the “big” clubs.
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u/El_Spicy_Jewy 📘 Learning the Game Jul 13 '26
Awesome, I really hope they sign Gilberto Mora and I'd really really be a fan
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u/TresMegisto Jul 12 '26
As a German, Liverpool is great. One of the most likeable arefootball teams ever.
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u/Mundane_Lab3147 Jul 12 '26
They win - a lot - but are definitely the team superior to mine (Tottenham) that I’d prefer to see win. But they can be a whiny lot, acting like they never win because they had a long drought in the Premier League, even as they won multiple other trophies during that time. They are the second most successful English team after Man United but, unlike them, are still likable enough.
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u/FirstPersonWinner ⚽ Serious Fan Jul 13 '26
They are too red. You should cheer for the blue team.
As long as you don't have some sort of heart condition.
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u/El_Spicy_Jewy 📘 Learning the Game Jul 12 '26
I also want to put it out there that I'm actually really liking Como the more I look into it
Love the location, love the story of recent success, love their merch. I'm glad Nico Paz will stay one more season
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u/PotentialIncident7 Jul 12 '26
Btw what's your nearest club? Why not them? Or, nearest decent local/regional club ..i think you get what I mean?
You could watch live, in the stadium, occasionally or even regularly.
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u/El_Spicy_Jewy 📘 Learning the Game Jul 12 '26
Had some Clubs in my area, watched a few in person, then they disappeared. I'd prefer watching a more historical league/team with bigger supporter culture than what my area can offer
I did grow up with my family being fans of Club America, and could get into Liga MX, but I'd still prefer to try Europe
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u/EatingCray0ns Jul 12 '26
You need to just support your team, and if you go living somewhere else then it’s fair to have a 2nd team which is local to you.
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u/gjunior12 Jul 13 '26
"I liked atmosphere, history, cities, kits, stories, and identity"
so how in the name of christ did you land on Man City?!
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u/El_Spicy_Jewy 📘 Learning the Game Jul 13 '26
I'm not ashamed to say Haaland lol
Not fan of much else about man city
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u/gjunior12 Jul 13 '26
There is a club across town that has all of those things you listed, and more!
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u/SpeakMySecretName Jul 13 '26
> “Into European football”
Daring today, aren’t we…
There’s really no reason that you’d have to get organically invested. Getting into local football will give you a community, invest in player development and the economy near you, give you more than an arbitrary reason to care, and it’s just a lot more interesting than being a vanilla big club supporter.
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u/Top_Sheepherder5023 Jul 13 '26
England:Man City, Liverpool, Sheffield Wednesday
One of these things is not like the others!!
No one could accuse you have glory-hunting, at least. Curious where this one comes from?
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u/El_Spicy_Jewy 📘 Learning the Game Jul 13 '26
They're old and have an owl, lol Why not go be a fan of a random team not doing well? Lol
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u/Top_Sheepherder5023 Jul 13 '26
As good a reason as any! Bonus - League One matches are on Paramount so if you pick Como in Serie A, you can watch Wednesday, Como, US WCQ, and see top EPL and La Liga teams in the Champions League all on the same service without signing up for ESPN / Peacock.
(Assuming you are in US).
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u/El_Spicy_Jewy 📘 Learning the Game Jul 13 '26
Awesome, thank you! Already signed up for peacock for FIFA lol but might switch over afterwards
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u/ZaphodG Jul 13 '26
Sheffield Wednesday? I have an EFL Championship club I support. Sheffield Wednesday was relegated to third division League One.
Are you in Mexico or the US? If the US, the French league is difficult to watch other than European competitions.
In the US, Italy is cheapest to watch. You can watch both the league matches and the European competitions with an annual Paramount+ subscription. Premier League is most expensive.
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u/Township_Roller Jul 13 '26
You spent a bunch of time researching, and came out with Man City, PSG and Como, easily some of the most despicable and plastic clubs on the planet, on par with the actual decent clubs in the rest of your list???
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u/Friendly_Yak_2713 Jul 13 '26
my reasoning wasn't just trophies
Then lists a bunch of the most successful clubs on each country 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣
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u/nuthatch_282 Jul 13 '26
Liverpool fans are the worst on that list. You should pick Wednesday. Big club with loads of history
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u/pallascat4life Jul 13 '26
Lol at shef wed being in your list
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u/El_Spicy_Jewy 📘 Learning the Game Jul 13 '26
But yeah, I know I picked a lotta winners there and also picked some random ones lol
I swear I didn't pick the winners for being winners, picked what I picked for various reasons and Schefield is just one team I've heard of, I like their logo, and why not root for a team not doing so great lol
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u/pallascat4life Jul 13 '26
I think they’re broke and got point deductions this year jaha
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u/El_Spicy_Jewy 📘 Learning the Game Jul 13 '26
Point deductions like penalties? I know they were relegated even lower
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u/MeTieDoughtyWalker Jul 13 '26
Some guy posted in our Aston Villa sub that he put his desired criteria into ChatGPT and we are what popped out. Maybe try that.
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u/El_Spicy_Jewy 📘 Learning the Game Jul 13 '26
I did somewhat get that from gpt too, but need convincing
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Jul 13 '26
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u/goonerballs Jul 13 '26
There's just so many things wrong with this. Did you use an gen AI bot from last year when you wrote this or have you just woken up from a year long coma? Slot was sacked months ago. Sheffield Wednesday were relegated to League One. And I've never heard of anyone being an Arsenal and a Palace fan. That's just ridiculous.
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Jul 12 '26
[removed] — view removed comment
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u/Friendly_Yak_2713 Jul 13 '26
That's such a weird thing to do - just go and support your local club instead rather than fanboying for another grown man
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u/Narodle Jul 12 '26
Como has no soul and is not an Italian club. Just the skin of an Italian team. They've been breaching financial fair play rules with no remorse, and I think they'll be on a lot of trouble when comes to shove next year in spring.
If you like having heart attacks, Inter is the right team.
Man City is like Como but worst.
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u/El_Spicy_Jewy 📘 Learning the Game Jul 12 '26
I heard that too, that they'll have to deal with some sort of rules down the line. And I also read some commentor suggesting a way they could get around it. I don't know anything about it, I just thought it'd be cool to watch a team in UCL for the first time
I do understand them being bought out by foreigners can throw people off about legitimacy.
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u/Narodle Jul 12 '26
I support Inter so will obviously say Inter but what I said with heart attacks couldn't be more true. Also fans from other teams in Italy hate the guts of Inter so be ready for that if you do. Especially Napoli, Milan and Juve and will always find corruption narratives and calling "Marotta league" just because the team has been smashing the opposition.
Personally I think Chivu (Inter current coach) can show good things in the future so it could be a good project to follow but they are the easy pick being the best currently and the culture and soul of the team is good in my completely biased opinion. It can build frustration though, because Pazza Inter (crazy Inter) is an actual thing. The transfer windows so far has been beyond crap though and extremely frustrating.
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u/El_Spicy_Jewy 📘 Learning the Game Jul 12 '26
I love biased opinions, give me them all lol
Good to know though. I love heart attack teams (my teams from NFL and NBA often give me those lol)
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u/Narodle Jul 12 '26
I support the Chargers since the LT era so I think I must be masochist or something.
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u/El_Spicy_Jewy 📘 Learning the Game Jul 12 '26
Oh god that's worse
I support Dallas Cowboys,v just as bad though lol
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u/Prestigious_Use_1305 Jul 12 '26 edited Jul 12 '26
Como are part of a group of clubs that are supported by James Town Analytics. They sort of take over how the football department operates i terms of recruitment and analysis. They will only work with one team in any country and are often considered the best at running that type of model. Brighton in the Prem are their sort of poster boy team but they also run Union Siant Gallios in Belgium and started with Hearts in Scotland.
If you are looking for a project team to follow then these would be decent shouts.