MADRID, 6 May 2022:
Competing in the UEFA Champions League is about more than just prestige for Europe’s top clubs because behind the scenes it drums up huge quantities of money that are almost vital to their survival.
Real Madrid have earned €105.34 million this season in a European campaign that has seen them stage unlikely comebacks against Paris Saint-Germain, Chelsea and, most recently, Manchester City in the semi-finals.
The last tranche of prize money, some €15.5 million for reaching the final, came thanks to a brace from Brazilian forward Rodrygo and an extra time penalty from Karim Benzema.
Only Liverpool, Real Madrid’s rivals in Paris on May 28, have financially outperformed the Spaniards this season with €115.80 million.
Both will now go head-to-head for the €4.5 million prize money allocated to the Champions League winners and the bonus €3.5 million for the team that qualifies for the UEFA Super Cup.
Real Madrid and Liverpool are not the only ones to reap the economic rewards of playing in Europe.
This season, Real Madrid, Villarreal, Atletico Madrid, Barcelona and Sevilla have secured a combined figure of €325.78 million.
UEFA boosted its prize money for the 2021/22 campaign by 3.6%, up to just over €2 billion.
The European football body, presided over by Aleksander Ceferin, shares that pot out between the 32 Champions League teams for different achievements.
The first and most lucrative is the prize money for reaching the Champions League group stages, which stands at €15.6 million per club.
Then, every victory in the group stage drums up a further €2.8 million per club while a draw earns teams €930,000.
Clubs that make it into the last-16 are awarded €9.6 million; the quarter-finals at €10.6 million and the semi-finals at €12.5 million.
Further financial incentives are given in relation to TV rights and performance as ranked by UEFA coefficients.
So far Real Madrid have earned the most out of the Spanish clubs in this season’s Champions League, taking in €105.34 million overall, split between €77.84 million from the competition and €27.5 million linked to UEFA coefficients.
In second place is Villarreal, who reached the semifinal only to go down fighting against Liverpool.
The club, currently seventh in LaLiga, expects to take in some €84 million from the Champions League, pending a final total from TV rights.
Fellow Spanish competitors Atletico Madrid — felled by Man City in the quarters — took in a total of €63.27 million while Barcelona, who didn’t make it beyond the group stages, cashed in €38.67 million from the Champions League and a further €2.9 million for making the quarter-finals of the Europa League.
Of the five Spanish teams that started in the Champions League, Sevilla fared the worst financially with €34.43 million and an extra €1.16 million for making the last-16 of the Europa League.
Financially, the Spanish teams were outgunned by their English rivals, Manchester City, Liverpool, Chelsea and Manchester United, who drew in a combined €335.75 million – nearly €10 million more than their LaLiga counterparts.
– EFE