UEFA Champions League – Man City and Real Madrid Get Big Paychecks

While the fans await the outcome of this seasons Champions League quarter-finals, the reports for earnings from UEFA competitions have now been released.  

2022/23 champions Manchester City are the revenue leader in this edition, with €89.024 million due to its sporting merits, followed by Real Madrid with €86.75 million. 

City’s revenue reflected it’s dominance in the Champions League last season. The side managed by Pep Guardiola outplayed every other team. This included Real Madrid, defeating them at the Etihad 4-1.

Both are vying for a spot in the semi-finals and then the all-important final, alongside Atlético Madrid and Barcelona, with €75.051 million and €74.328 million, respectively, at this tournament stage.

City and Real Madrid are the most economically productive teams. They are the only two clubs with a perfect record and earnings in the group stage (six wins at €2.8 million each, totalling €16.8 million). The only difference is in favour of the English side due to coefficient amounts.

At the top of this ranking, City receives €36.384 million. Based on the coefficient, Real Madrid ranks third with €35.427 million—the current difference of €2.274 million favours Pep Guardiola’s group.

In other aspects, pending the distribution of TV rights, which depend on each country’s share, everything is identical for both: €15.64 million from the group stage; €16.8 million from six victories; €9.6 million for reaching the round of 16; and €10.6 million for reaching the quarterfinals.

Additionally, only one of the two teams will receive €12.5 million—the winner of the challenging tie in this round. The Santiago Bernabéu will host the match next Tuesday, followed by the Etihad Stadium the following Wednesday. 

The victor will advance to the semifinals, enhancing their economic dominance in this tournament edition and aiming to surpass the hundred million mark.

Following the quarterfinal tie, fans will know which team will face Arsenal or Bayern Munich in the semifinals. 

Real Madrid have had a reputation in Europe as the most successful team, with several titles and final appearances. 

While most Real Madrid fans would’ve already bought UEFA Champions League final tickets, they are waiting for the result of the City clash. 

The memories of last year’s semifinal clash lie fresh in their mind, and the fans anxiously wait to see if the side could avenge the outcome. For City, it will be about playing their best football on the day to come out on top. 

Furthermore, advancing to the Champions League final is rewarded with €15.5 million. Winning the title earns an additional €4.5 million, apart from the €3.5 million for competing in the UEFA Super Cup, as per the official economic distribution announced by UEFA for the 2023-24 season. 

Similarly, the clash between the Champions League and Europa League winners in the summer also grants €1 million to the victor.

Last season, Manchester City earned €134.936 million as the Champions League winner, followed by Real Madrid with €118.834 million, despite not reaching the final. It was a celebration for the City fans with Champions League final tickets and the management. 

Inter, which did make the final, still earned €101.289 million. Bayern Munich (€108.157 million) and Paris Saint-Germain (€101.361 million) also surpassed the hundred-million mark, according to UEFA’s financial report for the 2022-23 campaign.

Meanwhile, Luis Enrique’s PSG side will face Barcelona in the quarterfinal, which is tipped to be a thrilling clash. Kylian Mbappe has stated that this will be his final year at the club, so all eyes will be on him to see if he can take his team to silverware—something the club has wanted to achieve for ages. 

Manchester United Won’t Make the Champions League

Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag has admitted that qualifying for next season’s Champions League will be difficult for his club, which are facing yet another stint of bad form. 

United conceded stoppage-time goals in a 1-1 draw against Brentford on Saturday and a dramatic 4-3 loss at Chelsea on Thursday, dropping five points from winning positions in six days.

It has left Ten Hag’s team 11 points behind fourth-place Aston Villa and nine behind Tottenham in fifth — who could now be making it to the Champions Leauge if England is awarded one of UEFA’s performance spots ahead of the expanded 2024-25 competition — with only eight games remaining.

“This week, we have dropped five points in stoppage time, which is very expensive,” Ten Hag said.

The points are getting more expensive because the games are running out. We have to catch up and are many points behind so that it will be difficult, but we will keep fighting. I’m sure you’ve seen our team has character.

After the defeat at Stamford Bridge, United will be challenged to get back on track when title-challenging Liverpool arrive at Old Trafford on Sunday.

For Ten Hag, it is once again crunch time. He must transform disappointment into wins, as the fans are once again considering a change in management. 

It might be a long time for United fans to book Champions League final tickets.

Ten Hag said his players would have to quickly overcome the disappointment of the Chelsea game and hoped they would be “angry” when they line up against Jürgen Klopp’s team.

“First, I have to deal with this, but I will say we can’t deal with this for long. We must recover quickly and turn this around,” Ten Hag said.

“From Friday on, I will be in a positive mood. We have to look forward and take energy. You can take a lot of energy from being angry, and that is how we must do it.”

Ten Hag also addressed his decision to bench Marcus Rashford for the Chelsea game. The England forward struggled to make an impact after coming on midway through the second half, but Ten Hag insists he has no problem with the 26-year-old’s form.