By Jake Glavies
In the shadow of the big three – England, Italy and Spain – the rest of Europe is quietly kicking around the pitch just hoping to be noticed.
Though most of the top players from France’s Ligue 1 and Germany’s Bundesliga eventually migrate to clubs in the big three, two of Europe’s more forgotten leagues are still churning out some great football.
Some of the best soccer being played in Europe right now can be found in France, where Bordeaux is looking to capture its second-straight Ligue 1 title. After ending Lyon’s seven year run atop the league standings last season, les Girondins are six points up on second place Montpellier – a squad that just last season was playing in Ligue 2. Led by Victor Hugo Montano’s seven goals, Montpellier is the feel-good-story of the soccer world; the only thing is, no one knows who they are.
Montpellier has a long way to go if it wants to knockoff the defending champions, though. In the pair’s first meeting this season, les Girondins took a 1-0 victory thanks to a Jussie score. The recently promoted team will look to prove it can hang with the big boys when the two teams face one another again March 6 at the Stade Jacques Chaban-Delmas.
Through 22 matches, Bordeaux is proving that it’s one of Europe’s heavy hitters. Boasting four players in the Castrol Index top 100 – including midfielders Yoann Gourcuff and Wendel, goalkeeper Cedric Carrasso and defender Marc Planus – les Girondins won’t easily give up on a second-straight championship.
Meanwhile, former giants Lyon are fourth after winning three-straight matches.
Currently in the German Bundesliga, it’s Bayer Leverkusen that’s causing headaches for the league’s best. After finishing ninth last season, Leverkusen is occupying the top spot – through 20 matches – ahead of German power Bayern Munich.
Winners of six of the last 10 league titles, Bayern Munich is trailing Leverkusen by two points in the most recent standings. The two teams played to a 1-1 draw back on Nov. 22, but they’ll meet again April 10 in what could be the match that decides the Bundesliga champion. Fielding four players in the Castrol top 20 – including defender Daniel van Buyten, forwards Mario Gomez and Ivica Olic and midfielder Arjen Robben – not to mention one of France’s top players in Franck Ribery, Bayern Munich might have too much firepower to be denied.
So remember, there’s more to soccer than just the Premier, La Liga and Serie A. In fact, if you look a little deeper you might just be surprised with what you find.
