The English Premier League is one of the most popular football leagues in the world. But what makes it so popular is the quality of football, the big-name signings that play in it, and the unpredictable results that often come out of it.
English league football was played since 1888, with the league simply being called the Football League back them. The Premier League that we know and love today was established in 1992 when all the leagues from the Football League First Division resigned and later formed the English Premier League.
But do you really know all about the Premier League?
Here are some interesting facts every fan should know.
The Majority of Teams Come from London
Traditionally, the better part of the Premier League consists of teams from London. Even though historically they were not as successful in winning the title, as opposed to the city of Manchester, for instance, teams from London are heavily featured in the Premier League.
The current lineup consists of five London based teams, Chelsea, Arsenal, Tottenham, West Ham, and Crystal Palace. While Fulham may get to achieve promotion through the playoffs for next season.
An English Manager Has Never Won the League
Surprisingly, the Premier League has been dominated by foreign managers. Resulting in an English manager never winning a single title. Sir Alex Ferguson and Kenny Dalglish are the only UK coaches to have won it, being that they are from Scotland.
On the other hand, the likes of Roberto Mancini, Arsene Wenger, Jose Mourinho, Carlo Ancelotti, Antonio Conte, Claudio Ranieri and, most recently, Jurgen Klopp have all won EPL trophies.
Seven Different Clubs Have Won the Premier League
Since 1992, there have been seven different champions in the Premier League. It has been mostly dominated by the clubs from Manchester, United and City, as combined together they have the most EPL trophies in their cabinet. The Red Devils have 13 of them while the Citizens have racked up four titles.
Arsenal and Chelsea are the two London based clubs that won trophies, the Gunners three and the Blues five. Blackburn, Leicester, and Liverpool only have a single Premier League title to their name with the Reds from Liverpool finally winning one after a 30-year long wait.
The Name of the League Changed A Few Times
Due to sponsorship deals, the league has been renamed a bunch of times. From 1992 to 1993 it had no sponsorship deals so it was known as the FA Premier League. From 1993 to 2001 the official name was the FA Carling Premiership. It changed sponsors in 2001 and till 2004 it bore the name FA Barclaycard Premiership.
With Barclays taking over the sponsorship in 2004 it was named FA Barclays Premiership till 2007 and then Barclays Premier League till 2016. Since then the league does not feature a sponsor and is simply called the Premier League
The Fans Hate their American Owners
English fans are notoriously nationalistic. This is especially seen through their resentment towards their American owners. Certain clubs have majority ownership from US-based firms and owners. Manchester United is the most popular team with the Glazer family being their majority proprietor.
The Red Devil’s army absolutely hates them and has often protested against them in the past.
