Champions to share over a billion euros

Europe's top clubs are battling for the highest prize money in the history of the elite Champions League. For the first time ever, the winner of the world’s most lucrative European football competition could earn more than 100 million euros. The Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) will distribute a record 1.27 billion euros in this season’s Champions League, which kicked off yesterday with its first matches. Thanks to the growing appeal of the tournament, rewards have increased by around six percent compared to last year. But the economic success of the Champions League brand is more striking when viewed over the past decade. In the 2006/2007 season, European teams split “only” 579 million euros.

What’s behind the astonishing growth in money in the most prestigious competition? “The Champions League has proven itself over the years as a guarantee of top-quality football. Thanks to modern technology, especially the growth of television viewership, revenue from sponsors is rising as well,” said Jozef Tokos, sports analyst and football agent, in a statement for the Economic Daily.

According to Vladimír Šmicer, winner of the 2005 Champions League with Liverpool and former Czech international, the increase in rewards is simply a reflection of today’s football market. “It’s the most lucrative football competition in the world, and the giants keep pushing UEFA to invest even more money into it,” said the Euro 1996 runner-up. Šmicer doesn’t expect many surprises in this year’s Champions League either—Real Madrid, FC Barcelona, Bayern Munich, and Juventus are again among the top favourites. “That’s why I would like to see success from a new club that hasn’t recently fought for the most prestigious club trophy. For example, Paris Saint-Germain,” said Šmicer. However, he admits that after the departures of key players like striker Zlatan Ibrahimović and defender David Luiz, their triumph would be a small miracle.

The fact that the biggest chances this season are again given to Spanish giants Real Madrid and Barcelona is confirmed by the squad values of the two teams. According to the portal Transfermarkt, “Los Blancos” top the chart with a team value of nearly 770 million euros, while Barcelona trails by just 13 million. Bayern Munich, in third, is a distant 200 million euros behind the winners of the last three editions of the Champions League. “Top players have been concentrated at Real and Barca for several years. English clubs bought up what they could this summer, so we’ll see what that brings in Europe’s number one competition,” commented Šmicer.

Both Tokos and Šmicer said they’re curious to see how English clubs perform. In the past three seasons, they’ve repeatedly disappointed. “The Premier League is the richest league in the world, and their investments into top players should start paying off,” said Tokos. This season, the country that invented football will be represented by Leicester City, Tottenham, Arsenal, and Manchester City. The latter reached the Champions League semi-finals last season and could aim even higher this year. “I think they brought in Pep Guardiola as coach specifically to win in the Champions League, because he has extensive experience in this competition,” Šmicer noted. Guardiola won the trophy twice with Barcelona and then led Bayern Munich to three consecutive semi-finals.