SEMIFINALS OF THE CHAMPIONS LEAGUE FEATURE FOUR FINANCIAL HEAVYWEIGHTS

(CTN News) – While U.S. sports fans are focused on the NBA and NHL playoffs, the Champions League semifinals take place in Europe Tuesday and Wednesday. Among the players are three blue blooded soccer players as well as a young Premier League team chasing its own history.

Aside from their on-field achievements, Real Madrid, AC Milan, Inter Milan and Manchester City are all among the 15 most valuable soccer clubs according to Sportico, as well as being the biggest financial success stories in the sport.

In a telephone interview during his preparation for the match, Gerry Cardinale, founder of RedBird Capital Partners, which bought Milan last year, said, “I’m eager to win.”. Business is also important, so I won’t lose sight of qualifying for the Champions League.

A Champions League success can be extremely lucrative for clubs, as UEFA offers more than $2 billion in prize money to participants each year.

As last year’s champion, Real Madrid, earned €133.7 million ($146 million) in prize money, but the competition unfolds during clubs’ domestic league matches, whose final standings will determine their participation in the Champions League the following season.

At the moment, Milan is positioned fifth in the table of Serie A, with only the four clubs who finish in the top four qualifying for next year’s competition.

In addition to that, the winner of the 2022-23 season will receive an automatic bid for the following season as well.

Real Madrid and AC Milan have won 14 and seven Champions League titles,

respectively, while Inter has three titles. In 2021, Man City finished runner-up in the Champions League, its peak finish in 12 years.

In order to complete a historic “treble,” Manchester City needs to capture the Premier League, Champions League, and FA Cup. As of 1999, Manchester United remains the only EPL club to achieve the feat.

According to Sportico’s global rankings, Real Madrid is worth $5.23 billion, second only to Manchester United ($5.95 billion).

They will host Man City on Tuesday, which ranks sixth at $4.43 billion. Around $815 million was generated by each of the two clubs during the 2021-22 season.

A total of $978 million was generated by only one team across all sports: the Dallas Cowboys.

Milan ($1.2 billion) and Inter ($1.11 billion) play their first leg at San Siro, the iconic stadium they share. In 2016, Chinese electronics retailer Suning acquired Inter, which was sold to Redbird last year.

In addition to UEFA prize money, soccer teams generate revenue from three main categories: matchday, commercial, and broadcast.

Champions League victory last season helped Real Madrid earn $363 million in broadcast revenue, 10% more than Manchester City.

Each Italian club generated about $100 million in broadcast revenue. Cardinale wants Serie A to close the significant gap between the EPL and LaLiga in terms of media rights.

Merchandising and sponsorships generate most of the commercial revenue. At $416 million, Manchester City has the highest commercial revenue of the final four clubs, with Emirates paying Real Madrid over $70 million a year.

Matchday revenue accounts for less than 15% of total revenue for each team. Cardinale is exploring new stadium options for Milan, which is at the bottom of the Champions League teams with $36 million.

Several potential locations have been identified through meetings with local officials. According to him, a decision will be made within the next few months.

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