JUDGING by our performances in the Champions League this week, there is no disputing that the Premiership has some of the strongest clubs in the world.

But, can we say that it is the best league on the planet? No, I don't believe we can.

Because, to put things simply, too many of the best players on the planet still do not want to come here to play.

The Premiership has the most money, the biggest spending power, the biggest global audience and, arguably, the most glitz and glamour.

But still the real artists of the game, the likes of Messi, Kaka, Zidane, E'Eto, Ronaldino, Ronaldo, Figo and Del Piero – none of them have ever shown any desire to come and play here.

And there is a good reason for that.

Because, while La Liga and Serie A may not have the same clout as the Premiership; while they may not be able to compete in the Europe against the likes of Liverpool, Chelsea, Manchester United and, to a lesser extent, Arsenal, they do have one thing working in their favour.

When players run out onto a pitch in Italy or Spain, they do not have to worry that they are going to spend 90 minutes getting kicked, battered and bruised.

They do not have to worry that their very career could be on the line.

In England, we cannot say the same.

Don't get me wrong, anyone who has listened to me talk about my time as a player will know that I relished a good, old-fashioned battle with a central defender.

But it was also a fair fight. There was a line there; there was rugged tackling, but there was not dangerous, career-threatening challenges.

In recent weeks in the Premiership we have seen exactly why the true artisans of the game do not want to risk playing here.

Time and again we have seen reckless, dangerous challenges fly in that could genuinely end a player's career.

I am not exaggerating. We have seen some horrific tackles in the past few weeks from the likes of Lucas Neill and Kevin Nolan, among several others.

And it is moments like that which mean we will never see the game's true greats playing on English soil.

When it comes to the artists, the global superstars, we will continue to have to watch them ply their trade in Spain, Italy and Germany, whether their European credentials are inferior or not.