You may remember, amid the deluge of #content after England's amazing Euro 2016 exit to Iceland, Didi Hamann rose to the top. (Okay, he was eclipsed by Steve McClaren, but there's no shame in that). Hamann said that the Premier League was a "fraud", as he explained why he believes the Greatest League in the World is overhyped.
The erstwhile Liverpool midfielder said that Richard Scudamore had "sold a Skoda for a Lamborghini for the last 15 years", and that its clubs "pay world-class wages for above average players and I think was a culmination today".
Two years on, one of the surprising voices to join that chorus is the man who dominated the competition last year: Pep Guardiola.
In an interview with Jorge Valdano for Marca, Pep explained that the quality of the league as a television product.
The Premier League seems better than it is because of the way it's sold and the way they broadcast the product.
There is a lot of truth to this: Sky and BT's production values are sensationally good, and grounds are generally always full and benefit (with the exception of West Ham) from the crowd being so close to the pitch. The noise, colour, and vibrancy of it all masks over some of its technical deficiencies.
Premier League sides have not been a force in Europe for some time, as continental competitions have been dominated by La Liga.
Valdano, of course, is no fan of the English league, infamously referring to a 2007 Champions League semi-final between Liverpool and Chelsea as resembling "shit on a stick".
Elsewhere in the interview, Pep waxes lyrical ono Roberto Baggio and once again deifies Johan Cruyff, whom he says "didn't convince me, he made me fall in love".
The interview can be found here.
See Also: Details Emerge Of More Defenders Rejecting Man United This Summer
