European Soccer Returns: Guide to Picking a Club
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- Arsenal enter as Premier League defending champions built around defense and featuring Bukayo Saka and Christos Tzolis, framed as the pick for fans who like front-runners.
- Liverpool's ownership is tied to LeBron James via RedBird Capital, also invested in AC Milan and Toulouse, while Fenway Sports Group owns the Boston Red Sox — positioning the club for what the guide calls a bounce-back season.
- Tottenham nearly suffered relegation in consecutive seasons and now push for European competition, with Roberto De Zerbi under pressure after the club failed to sign a single attacker this summer.
- Real Madrid are framed around Jude Bellingham, Vinicius Junior, and Kylian Mbappe, with Jose Mourinho described as bringing 'the chance of an explosion in his press conferences.'
- Barcelona, the defending LaLiga champions, are highlighted with Rodri — described as 'formerly of Manchester City' — as they chase their first Champions League title since 2015.
- Bayern Munich, under Vincent Kompany, count on England striker Harry Kane as they target a Champions League run with what the article calls 'trademark German efficiency.'
- Villarreal feature right back Alex Freeman, son of ex-Green Bay Packer wide receiver Antonio Freeman, presented as a crossover hook for NFL and USMNT fans.
Why it matters: Every club mentioned is tied to Paramount+'s broadcast rights, turning the post-World Cup fan surge into a content-marketing funnel for CBS's soccer coverage. The guide leans on pop-culture hooks (LeBron, the Red Sox, NFL bloodlines) rather than tactical depth to lower the barrier for casual American viewers entering European soccer.
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