COMPARISON BETWEEN ERAS
— Isaque Argolo | 12/09/2022 —

When studying the history of football, especially in more remote periods, as is the case before the Second World War, doubts usually come to mind about different aspects and traits. For example, British football is not mentioned very well in the period between the creation of football and 1939, even though the British Isles are indispensable for studies on ancient football. Nevertheless, the main players such as Ernest Needham, Jimmy Crabtree, Steve Bloomer, Alex James and among others cited as the best of all time, even decades after their retirement, are not even mentioned in the most current content on the history of football.

Teams like Arsenal F.C., Sunderland A.F.C, Aston Villa F.C., Preston North End F.C. are almost completely forgotten, even though other teams which are not from the British Isles have more recognition. For example, Wunderteam and Arsenal, two of the top teams of the 1930s, faced each other, in 1933 — 4:2 for Arsenal —, while both teams were no longer at their peak — Arsenal in 1930/31 and Wunderteam in 1931. However, I don't believe that Wunderteam would beat Arsenal if a match were held in 1931. On the contrary, I believe it would be a massacre; whether on English or Austrian soil. Nevertheless, the Wunderteam as well as Italy itself in 1934 and 1938 are much better remembered. Furthermore, if it were possible, I also do not believe that both national teams mentioned would be able to defeat Wembley Wizards. I even believe it would have been devastating for Austria and Italy if they had faced that spectacular Scottish team that has been compared to the team that beat England in 1900 — which was one of the best teams Scotland has ever fielded.

Furthermore, British superiority is recognized almost unanimously on the continent. Specialists and great authorities, such as Hugo Meisl and Vittorio Pozzo, recognized that England were still the team to beat. As much as English football was no longer so scientific and flashy, it was still what most achieved the objective of the game — scoring goals. In such a way, they caused foreign teams to remain below their level, even though that level was close to being equaled at certain times.

Following the line of reasoning and pointing out what Alfréd Brüll himself — then president of MTK — said, was Sunderland, in fact, a superior team to Wunderteam and MTK Aranycsapat? Generally, these two teams and Železná Sparta are the most highly regarded on the continent. On the other side of the world, the 1924 Uruguay team was cited as one of the greatest teams ever to exist. However, keeping the focus between British football and Central European football — Europe's two main powers —, were MTK Aranycsapat, Wunderteam, Železná Sparta and among other great Central European teams be in a position to match Sunderland? And even if they were equal or superior teams to Sunderland, that great English team was not even seen as the best ever produced by the British Isles. If the authorities themselves view the British Isles' top historic teams as superior, then what would be the real level of the extraordinary 1890s Aston Villa F.C. and 1880s Preston North End F.C., as these two teams are seen as superior to Sunderland?