The Premier League is a 'fraud', Liverpool legend blasts

England's Gary Cahill covers his face during the Euro 2016 round of 16 soccer match between England and Iceland. Photo / AP.

Liverpool legend Dietmar Hamann launched a scathing attack on the Premier League after England's embarrassing defeat to Iceland in the last-16 of Euro 2016.

Featuring as a pundit on Irish television broadcaster RTÉ, the 42-year-old claimed that England's top flight is littered with over-hyped and overpaid players, most of which are 'bang average'.

Hamann also claimed that the worldwide coverage the Premier League receives has created unrealistic expectations and that in terms of quality, football in Spain and Germany is far superior to England.

"English people believe the hype of the Premier League," said the German. "Richard Scudamore and the Premier League company have sold a Skoda for a Lamborghini for the last 15 years.

"The Premier League is average. If you look at Spain and Germany and the standard of football and look at the quality of football, it's in a different league to England.

"Just because it's being watched all over the world, that doesn't make it the best product."

Hamann didn't stop there, criticising how much the players are paid by English clubs and how the top players in the world still prefer to play elsewhere.

"Some of the players should light a candle every night when they go to bed because if they were Icelandic, Portuguese, Dutch or German they would struggle to earn a quarter of money they're on now."

"It's not their fault that the clubs are paying that money. But it's over-inflated, the Premier League is a fraud. They pay world-class wages for above average players."

"If you could look through the team, can you see anyone play for the likes of Real Madrid, Barcelona and Bayern Munich in the next five years?

"Maybe Stones and Barkley, apart from that it's bang average. How many of these players would be on the radar of the top clubs?

"You could make a case for Sturridge and Rashford, who did more in the five minutes coming on than the rest of the team going forward."

-Daily Mail