The Iron Curtain has been well and truly drawn

Cast your mind back to the 1990′s. Serie A could consider itself, along with the Premier League and La Liga, the strongest competition in the world. Over in Eastern Europe, free from Communism, the Russian league was still rife with corruptness and of a low standard.

Fast forward 15 years and the tables have turned, with the future of Wesley Sneijder evidence for the change in fortunes of club football in both Russia and Italy.

The Dutch playmaker is being linked with both Zenit St. Petersberg and Anzhi this summer, a deal that would have been laughed at only a few years ago.

Serie A is still attemptng to get back on the straight and narrow after the seemingly never ending emergence of match fixing scandals, whereas it seems with every passing term in Russia, better players and larger financial packages are being brought into the Premier Division.

It wouldn’t be a massive surprise if the Holland international completed a move to the colder climate, where he would join stars such as Christopher Samba, Alan Dzagoev, Roberto Carlos and Samuel Eto’o.

The Russian Premier Division is an emerging force, don’t be surprised if ten years from now it is seen as the strongest league on the continent. With the national team following suit.

@paulhill3