Yes, it is true, mass attracts mass... and therefore you are most likely to achieve more success in clubs that already have won things in the past. But this shouldn't be the driving force behind someone's choice to join a club, unfortunately it is. It is the combination of the financial means that clubs have and their status, although the financial side is the important one. People often tell you that there are certain players who stay at the club where they started and stayed there their whole career, but if you think about it this is either due to the fact that this club can afford them (i.e has the same financial powers as the others) or the player himself is simply not good enough to be attracted somewhere else.
Yes, you are right, I am 20 years old. My love for football started with looking up to my brother and watching the national team of the country I was born in. The transition to club football kicked in after my brother bought me cleats of Figo who was a player of Barcelona and was considered to be one of the best in that period of time. So in a way you could say I was attracted to Barcelona due to it's success, but back then it had little to do with being a supporter, my admiration for Barcelona came after I obtained enough knowledge about football to form my own opinion about the style and the clubs. With the emerging of Ronaldinho I was completely sold out, as a football fan I support individual players too (often before they join 'big' clubs). So in a way I was attracted by 'success' but it's whatever. I don't necessary judge clubs by their success but I always tend to support the 'underdog' in neutral games I watch.
You mentioned that you considered a club to have a degree of prestige if they have 2 or more European cups. This is true, but this should not be of relevance to being a supporter or the reason why one supports a club, unfortunately it is. Yet it's funny to see people often attack others for being 'glory hunters', while in fact it was the success (i.e the exposure) that attracted the 'fans'. Off course this is a personal thing and is more detailed than that I described, I am aware of this. It is the most beautiful thing to be born in a city with a rich football history for a football fan, but unfortunately most of us are not born in such an environment. According to the 'history' argument one should seek to support/work/associate with clubs that have the 'prestige'. This would mean we all should limit ourselves to the selected few who got the prestige, excluding those who have not. This is the part that I simply refuse to agree with. I'd rather see someone come up from nothing, some who can fight himself up. I'd say my admiration for Barcelona is a combination of my love for football, the independence struggle of the Catalan people and the fact I think the club suits my personality. Others could see this as glory hunting, but honestly I don't blame them nor do I care.
You yourself mentioned you were born in a certain era. If we asked our grand parents who they consider clubs with prestige they might have a slightly different view on all of this. Perhaps the clubs who now have the prestige, were the 'City' in their time?
Therefore I don't spread hate to clubs who finally found the means to break trough the hierarchy of clubs who rule based on their 'history'. And this all is one of the reasons I don't mind Pep building something new, not only this, but actually CREATE history, instead of to 'expand' history.....
