Europa, lifeblood of football Funny you should mention it. Europe is about to win another FIFA World Cup this very weekend. The silverware just keeps on coming.
A European country will win the next World cup. As more and more South American venture into Europe, The worst it's going to get for South American Countries. It happen to us with Veron when we played England. Half of the players played with Veron at ManU, so he was easily snuffed. The Element of Skill and Surprise and the wonder of what you'll see on the pitch by a South American is out the Window. Imagine what it was like for a European player to go against Pele, never having played against him? When Di Stefano went to Europe, he was playing in Colombia for God Sake and he killed the Competition. If you Look real closely at Brazil 2002, How many players played against Ronaldinho??? Kleberson which played in Brazil's Domestic league was out of this world. No one could stop him...Yet he never played in or against any European players beforehand...
Europe will ALWAYS produce highly competitive players, clubs, and yes, national teams. Declining birth rates? Please. Football has been HUGE in England, Germany, Italy, Holland, Spain, etc. for decades and why would that stop? Why would young boys in these countries stop? Will the Premiership, the Bundesliga, the Seria A, the Liga Primera, etc, all flounder, fold, and die within the next few years? The very success these leagues are enjoying are one major reason the best players from non-European countries go there. Asides from the generous paychecks these players will get, adding top-flight foreign talent to local leagues—already brimming with world-class players (Zidane, Beckham, Totti, Davids, Raúl…) will ensure Euro leagues remain the world’s most competitive. As for European national teams, the club-country debate notwithstanding, the best European nations will always field extremely competitive sides. Paling in comparison with 1974 and 1990, Germany still excelled in 2002—Ballack is a talent. Spain and Italy fielded outstanding teams in the 2002 World Cup. Holland’s absence was a travesty. And so forth. I will always maintain that at every World Cup, Brazil and Argentina will contend for the title (although the Argentines will not want to remember 2002). But to say Europe will never win another World Cup is ridiculous. Look at the European Championships… to me this competition IS the World Cup MINUS Brazil and Argentina (and South Korea and perhaps one or two African upstarts.). Other than my own Brazil with Pelé in 1958, Europe has emerged victorious every time the World Cup was held in the Old World. And I believe that one day, a European side will become World Cup champion outside Europe.