Europe is the world’s third largest continent in terms of population and the sixth largest in terms of area, with over 738 million inhabitants covering over 10 million km2.
Europe is also the continent in which football originated in its codified form, and it is also home to the best leagues and national teams on Earth right now. Germany are the most successful nation in European football, having won four World Cup’s and three European Championships, followed by the likes of Italy, France and Spain.
I’m well-aware that today’s video may seem a little arbitrary and random, but it was little videos like this that really got this channel going in the first place, and if you have any other fun little ideas for me – don’t hesitate to leave them in the comments. To be clear, I’m taking a look at the seven largest cities in Europe by city proper population and picking who I think is the best current footballer born in that city.
Here are my views on the best footballer from Europe’s 7 biggest cities:
7. Kiev – Artem Shabanov
The seventh largest city proper in Europe, larger than the likes of Rome, Paris and Munich, is the Ukrainian capital of Kiev. Five of the seven largest cities in Europe are capital cities, and Kiev has been the capital of Ukraine since it declared independence in 1991, having spent 57 years as the capital of Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic of the Soviet Union prior to that. It’s a choice of two centre-backs for Kiev, namely Artem Shabanov and Ihor Plastun. There’s not much to split the two, but ultimately it is the Dynamo Kyiv man Shabanov who takes it for me.
6. Madrid – David de Gea
David de Gea, Pau Lopez of Spain during the UEFA Euro 2020 qualifier between Norway and Spain at Ullevaal Station on October 12, 2019 in Oslo, Norway.
Spain is one of Europe’s footballing powerhouses, and Madrid is home to one – if not two now – of the biggest football clubs on Earth, but it is also one of the finest cities in terms of producing top class footballers. The likes of Koke, Rodri and Alvaro Morata all have to be considered, strongly too after David de Gea’s forgettable 2018-19 season by his own high standards, but we can’t write him off after one wobble. For more than half a decade de Gea was the outstanding goalkeeper in the Premier League and the outstanding individual at Manchester United, so he takes the title for Spain’s capital and most populous city of Madrid.
5. Berlin – Antonio Rudiger
Berlin is an unusual city in a footballing sense, inasmuch as it is the capital and largest city of one of the world’s greatest footballing nations, and yet the city has never been a hotbed of talent within the German game. Only five Berlin-based sides have ever been crowned German champions, the most recent of which being Hertha all the way back in 1931. Berlin has produced some good individuals though, the most notable current examples being Jerome Boateng and Antonio Rudiger. There’s no doubt that Jerome Boateng was a far superior player to Rudiger a few years ago, but sadly injuries appear to have taken their toll, and he looked really out of sorts last season. Rudiger isn’t a world beater but he’s a solid centre-back who makes Chelsea look a much better team, so he’s my choice for Berlin.
4. Saint Petersburg – Andriy Yarmolenko
Andriy Yarmolenko of West Ham United during the Premier League match between West Ham United and Crystal Palace at London Stadium on October 05, 2019 in London, United Kingdom.
The only player in this seven who doesn’t represent the country in which he was born, West Ham star Andriy Yarmolenko was born in Saint Petersburg shortly before the fall of the Soviet Union. At that time, the city was known as Leningrad, a name it was given following Vladimir Lenin’s death in 1924, having previously been named Petrograd and originally Sankt-Peterburg. The city’s original name Sankt-Peterburg – or Saint Petersburg in English – returned in 1991 following the fall of the Soviet Union. Yarmolenko, meanwhile, despite having been born in modern day Russia, was the son of native Ukrainians who returned to Ukraine shortly after his birth. Today, the 29-year-old is a four-time Ukrainian Footballer of the Year with 83 caps to his name.
3. London – Harry Kane
The third largest city in Europe with a population of over eight million people, London dominates the United Kingdom in a way few other single cities in major developed global nations do. The city is home to some of England’s biggest and best football clubs, and has also given birth to some of the nation’s finest players. The likes of Jimmy Greaves, Bobby Moore and David Beckham were all born within the city of London, but the outstanding individual right now has to be Harry Kane. England’s captain and the top scorer at the 2018 World Cup, Kane is among the finest centre-forwards in the world, and for my money he’s the best player in this seven.
2. Moscow – Artem Dzyuba
Artem Dzyuba of Russia and Charlie Mulgrew of Scotland vie for the ball during the UEFA Euro 2020 qualifier between Russia and Scotland on October 10, 2019 in Moscow, Russia.
The largest nation in Europe, despite being a transcontinental nation covering both Europe and Asia, Russia is the only country with two cities in this seven. Moscow is the second largest city in Europe in terms of population, home to over 12 and a half million people, and unlike Saint Petersburg, the finest player born in the city does actually play for Russia. Also unlike a number of Russian cities including Saint Petersburg, Moscow never renamed under the rule of the Soviets. Even if at no other time, most viewers of this video will have watched Artem Dzyuba in action for Russia during the 2018 World Cup. An enormous 6’5” centre-forward who plays exactly how you’d expect a big 6’5” Russia centre-forward to play, the 31-year-old has bagged 52 goals in 138 games for Zenit St Petersburg, as well as scoring 21 goals from 38 caps for Russia. That puts him third in Russia’s all time scoring charts.
1. Istanbul – Arda Turan
There will be those in the comments hurtling rapidly towards their keyboards to point out that much of Istanbul is located in Asia rather than Europe, and those people aren’t wrong. Istanbul is a transcontinental city, with much of the city’s 15 million+ population occupying the Asian portion of the Turkish city. Nevertheless, it is considered a European city, and its population makes it officially the largest European city. I don’t make the rules, alright…
Originally known as Byzantium, then Constantinople and since 1930 – Istanbul, the city proper is the fourth largest on Earth in terms of population, and the largest outside of China. In terms of the finest current footballer hailing from the Turkish megacity, it is a question of two midfield players, Emre Belozoglu and Arda Turan. Turan’s career took a minor detour off the edge of a cliff following a 2015 move to Barcelona, but he’s still arguably Turkey’s most technically gifted player of a generation, and he’s my choice for Istanbul.
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