That doesn't really matter though, does it? Their bodies are their livelihood and their careers are short. I wouldn't be too enthused to play in what is a glorified friendly preseason tournament just for some assholes at FIFA or whatever other organization to get paid much more in comparison. Tickets aren't even being sold that well so it seems there isn't much of an appetite for it from a spectators' perspective.
Mid-season World Cup three seasons ago, a Euros/Copa America last summer and now this with a World Cup next summer is just too much. It's nice as a fan, but I sympathize with the players who are being run into the ground.
There once was a glorified tournament which is now the pinnacle of football trophies! Here is the teams that entered it! Madrid won it they took it seriously think they won it next two years too..
The first ever European Cup, which later became known as the UEFA Champions League, was held in the 1955-56 season. It was organized by UEFA and featured 16 teams from various European countries. Below is the list of teams that participated in the inaugural tournament:
- **Austria**: Rapid Wien
- **Belgium**: Anderlecht
- **Denmark**: AGF Aarhus
- **England**: No representative (English clubs did not participate in the first season)
- **France**: Reims
- **Hungary**: Vörös Lobogó (now MTK Budapest)
- **Italy**: AC Milan
- **Netherlands**: PSV Eindhoven
- **Poland**: Partizan Belgrade (competed as a representative of Yugoslavia)
- **Portugal**: Sporting CP
- **Romania**: No representative
- **Saarland**: Saarbrücken (Saarland was a protectorate at the time)
- **Scotland**: Hibernian
- **Spain**: Real Madrid
- **Sweden**: Djurgårdens IF
- **Switzerland**: Servette
- **West Germany**: Rot-Weiss Essen
**Key Notes**:
- Real Madrid won the first tournament, defeating Reims 4-3 in the final.
- The competition was initially a knockout tournament, unlike the modern group stage format.
- Some countries, like England, declined to participate due to domestic priorities or skepticism about the new competition.
If you need more details about the tournament or specific matches, let me know!