Some fans are convinced that the golden era of football is behind us.
Whilst there is some evidence to support that notion, the matter is a subjective one.
Those who lived through the peak Premier League era of 2004-2010, and preceding that, the golden days of international football of the early 2000s, may be best placed to testify.
Living through both eras certainly helps, and even more so for those who played in it such as 2002 World Cup winner and former Arsenal star Gilberto Silva.
The former midfield general spent six years in north London, etching his name into Arsenal folklore as part of the club’s invincibles team of 2004.
Add in a couple of FA Cup wins for good measure and Silva boasts a distinctive career having played alongside some of football’s most iconic names.
Silva shared dressing rooms with Ronaldo and Ronaldinho at international level while teaming up with legends such as Thierry Henry and Cesc Fabregas with Arsenal.
The midfielder would happily admit he was fortunate to play alongside such an array of talented players, but according to the Brazilian, football is no longer the same as it was back then.
He claims that the new wave of talent operates in a far more subdued fashion compared to 20 years ago, something he puts down to the changing landscape of football.
“Football has changed in the last few years,” Silva told talkSPORT on Friday afternoon.
“The players are more athletic now. In our time, we were football players that at some stage wanted to become athletes.
“We had more freedom to go and create and express ourselves and make mistakes.
“The world has changed over time and you have to adapt to it, but it’s still football, I still love it.”
Silva was then asked whether football’s technical differences as seen by systemic revamps imposed by managers such as Pep Guardiola, Luis Enrique and Mikel Arteta has been detrimental to the game.
Much has been made of the impact of the recent adoption of a ‘play out from the back’ style with some fans believing it has sucked the entertainment out of the game.
“I watch many games and sometimes all the games and the systems used all look the same,” Silva stated.
“You don’t see many players that are going to break the lines and go past one, two or three players.
“Sometimes when you have that type of player in a team, he draws criticism.
“This type of player needs to be appreciated because he changes the rhythm of the game although he’s not always going to get things right.
“I hope the game doesn’t become too mechanic in the future.”
Silva’s claims come at a time when his native Brazil have been unable to produce the same calibre of player they did back in the late 1990s and early 2000s.
Gone are the days of Brazilian football’s never-ending conveyor belt of creative geniuses – the last of which being Neymar whose career has been blighted by injuries in recent years.
The five-time World Cup winners now boast a crop of efficient stars mostly influenced by system-based football.
And as a result, Brazil has not produced a Ballon d’Or winning player since Kaka scooped the award in 2007 and appear unlikely to any time soon.
Former Watford striker Troy Deeney who claims to be among the last crop of stars from the Premier League’s bygone era, concurred with Silva and believes creativity is becoming a dying breed in the game.
“When we look at football now we have athletes who are being made into footballers. Before, we used to play with freedom,” Deeney said.
“You think of the time Gilberto played with Ronaldinho, Rivaldo, Ronaldo and Cafu.
“Yes, they were great players, but they were all individual mavericks. They did their thing, they tried something different.
“You look now, it’s more system-based. Trying to get these players to play to a certain system as opposed to making a system around talented players.”
