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How much money does the UEFA Champions League generate?

Every European club dreams of winning the champions league, and it’s not for the glory of it alone. Qualifying for the Champions League guarantees participating clubs plenty of money. Winning a single game earns a club €2.7 million while a draw commands €900,000.

Qualifying for the round of 16 raises the earnings made to €9.5 million while winning the competition comes with the promise of €19 million. When you add performance bonuses, a Champions League winner takes home over €100 million. For a comprehensive breakdown of how much the Champions League is worth, read this article to the end.

Prize Money

The UEFA Champions League is one of the best paying competitions in the world. More than FIFA World Cup, the tournament generates over €3 billion per season and pays out participating clubs at least €2.5 billion. The exact figures change each season. But so far, the tournament has been generating more cash with each new season.

In the 2018/19 season, UEFA generated €3.25 billion. It deducted €295m to cover for administration costs and €510 for the Europa League and the Super Cup. It also paid out €227.5m to the football associations of most of the leagues that participate in the tournament.

After the deductions, Champions League participants competed for €2.04 billion. It is important to note the competing clubs include those that participate in the qualifiers but fail to clinch a spot in the group stage. These teams share €30 million.

Guaranteed Group Stage Money
Last year, UEFA pooled €488 million to be shared equally amongst all teams that qualified for the group stage. As a result, all the 32 clubs involved in the group stage took home €15.25 million each.

Performance Bonuses
As we mentioned, each club earns €2.7m for every win in the group stage while draws also make a club a whooping €900,000. The winner and runners up of each group also take home €2m and €1m respectively. Unsurprisingly, each Champions League teams yearn to win every game. As a result, the tournament’s football betting odds are ever competitive, and bookies always look forward to covering the competition.

Knock-out stage Bonuses
Qualifying for the round of 16 comes with enormous bonuses for teams. In the 2018/19 season, UEFA had a €585m pot for the 16 teams that qualified. Like in the group stage, each win in the knock out stages earns a club €2.7m while a draw equals €0.9m.

Teams that get knocked out at the round-of-16 take home €9.5m each. Those that reach the quarter-finals earn €10.5m while the semi-finalists earn €12m. Reaching the finals adds €3m to each qualified team while the winners take home €19m.

TV Income
Champions League participants also earn a share of UEFA’s TV income. However, where each team comes from and their average TV viewership determines how much they make.

As a result, premier league, La Liga, Serie A, Bundesliga, and Ligue One sides earn more than other lower-ranked league teams. For reference, UEFA paid out €292m in TV viewership income in the 2018/19 season.

Coefficient Income
Beginning this season, UEFA will distribute €585 million to clubs with the most Champions League appearances for the past ten years. Through the system, a club like Barcelona which has appeared in the previous ten Champions League tournaments will earn more money than debutants.

Shirt-Sales

Although clubs earn their highest chunk of Champions League money from UEFA; they have more money generating income. Shirt sales, for instance, make the top club millions of euros. Real Madrid consistently sells over 1.6m jerseys each year. Assuming the club sold each jersey for €50, it would earn €80m.

Manchester sells over 1.5m jersey while Barcelona, Bayern, and other top clubs hit over one million jersey sales each year. Of course, not all club jerseys are sold because they appeared in the Champions League, but it helps.

Jersey manufacturers also pay handsomely to clubs that perform well in the Champions League. As such, all top clubs always fight to produce their best performances while participating in the tournament.

Social Media

Studies show football fans spend more time on social media during the Champions League and FIFA World Cup than any other tournament. From Brazil to the USA, Europe to Africa, clubs enjoy a beehive of social interactions with global fans on social media.

Clubs that perform past the round of 16 consistently attract millions of social media fans. It’s not surprising considering that most people want to be associated with the best performing teams. Regardless, the numbers are what matter to clubs.

Although it’s difficult to monetize social media success, clubs tend to use the opportunity to build a fan base that could help increase TV income. Social media numbers can also be converted to jersey sales and other merchandises clubs sell.

Sponsorship Money

Some companies only sponsor football clubs that participate in the Champions League. Manchester United is a great example. Although it’s still England’s most valuable club, it could be worth more had it qualified for the Champions League this year.

Club sponsors benefit through exposure to the fans, and they know the Champions League brings out fans in droves. Again, being in UEFA increases a club’s bargaining power when finding new sponsors. Companies want football teams driven by the motivation to win trophies, especially prestigious competitions.

In the past five years, Real Madrid and Barcelona have topped the world’s most valuable club ranking. At times, Manchester has topped the list. But other than United, most of the clubs in the top 10 wealthiest clubs have a record for qualifying and performing well in the Champions League.

To Conclude

The Champions League generates over €3 billion each year. That’s by far the most significant pool for a club-based sports competition. UEFA withholds over €500 million to cover for administration and other costs. It also gives out €500m to clubs in the Europa League.

However, the biggest prize pool goes out to teams playing the Champions League. And as we mentioned above, a team’s league, performance, and fan play a significant impact on how much they garner from the tournament.

By Chris Darwen

What are the Expectations of a Modern Elite Goalkeeper?

Goalkeepers. A position that is arguably the hardest to truly analyse in football due to the unpredictability of the job. What makes a good goalkeeper? How do we know if a goalkeeper is performing well or is just blessed with a talented defence? In turn, how do we know the struggling goalkeeper is not just being let down by those in front of him? As the former England international Joe Hart once said. “As a goalkeeper, you can’t come off the bench for 10 minutes to prove your worth – it’s either you’re in or you’re out.” As an elite goalkeeper, you are not only tasked with stopping shots but also being the beginning piece to an attack and being a reliable passing option.

So what are some metrics to consider? How do we determine what we – as viewers, analysts, or trainers – should expect from an elite goalkeeper? Thanks to data from WyScout and Football Reference, we can break it down into two main categories; shot-stopping and distribution. Under the shot-stopping category, we can look at save percentage and Expected Conceded Goals Difference, or xCG Difference. xCG difference is calculated by taking the real average goals conceded per match and subtracting it by xCG, leaving a difference that shows over/underperformance.

For example, as of November 16th, 2019, Sheffield United goalkeeper Dean Henderson has an xCG Difference of +0.23, meaning he is overperforming. On the other hand, Burnley goalkeeper Nick Pope has an xCG Difference of -0.17, meaning he is underperforming. These two aspects can be looked at to help form a baseline on what goalkeepers in Europe’s top five leagues should be expected to be performing at. The second category is distribution. Within distribution, the average received passes, long passes, and short passes completed per match will be examined. Considering 98 clubs play in Europe’s top five leagues, an average can comfortably be established that accounts for sides who are kept under pressure (meaning a goalkeeper is more likely to have to launch it forward) and for sides who are more comfortable in possession using each club’s starting goalkeeper. Without further adieu, this tactical analysis will use statistics and data analysis to determine some baselines for shot-stopping.

Shot-stopping
When looking across the top five leagues of Europe, a few things stand out for Expected Conceded Goals Difference. When looking at the top five individual scores, as of November 16th, 2019, one player from each of the leagues represents. Coming in first with a difference of +0.5 is 28-year-old Aitor Fernandez. The Spanish goalkeeper from Levante is expected to concede an average of 1.65 goals per match but massively outperforms that, only conceding an average of 1.15 goals per match. Following Fernandez is Serbia’s Predrag Rajkovic with a difference of 0.47. At Reims, he is expected to concede 0.91 goals per match and is shockingly only conceding 0.44. Coming in third is perhaps the most surprising of all, Roberto Jimenez. The Spanish backup at West Ham has faced heavy criticism in his time filling in for Lukasz Fabianski, but actually has a difference of 0.38. It is worth noting that Jimenez also faces the highest expected conceded goals average in all of Europe at 2.33, but is only actually conceding an average of 1.95. Placing fourth in the rankings is Marco Silvestri. The Hellas Verona goalkeeper scores a difference of 0.33 (xCG Average 1.19, Actual Average 0.86) which is closely followed by Pavao Pervan of Wolfsburg, who scores a difference of 0.32 (xCG Average 1.25, Actual Average 0.93).

Looking at the other end of the rankings, the bottom five are not nearly as league-diverse, with four playing in the Bundesliga and one playing in the Premier League. Coming in as the fifth-worst performer in Europe is Southampton’s Angus Gunn, offering a -0.61 difference while conceding an average of 2.32 goals per match despite only being expected to concede 1.71 per match. Closely following Angus Gunn is respected duo Roman Burki of Borussia Dortmund (Difference -0.63, xCG Average 1.08, Actual Average 1.71) and Werder Bremen’s Jiri Pavlenka (Difference -0.64, xCG Average 1.4, Actual Average 2.04). With a reasonable gap come the bottom two, both representing newly-promoted Bundesliga sides. Once a top prospect, Köln’s Timo Horn has fallen from grace with a difference of -0.78, an xCG Average of 1.2, and an Actual Average of 1.98. Finishing 98th out of 98 goalkeepers is Paderborn’s new transfer Jannik Huth. The former German youth international rounds off the rankings with a difference of -0.79, an xCG Average of 1.9, and an astonishing Actual Average of 2.69.

So what is an average difference? Well, looking at the top five leagues, only two leagues sees an average that is positive. The league with the best average is Italy’s Serie A with an average difference of +0.067. Following Serie A is France’s Ligue Un with an average difference of +0.025. Barely falling onto the other side of 0 is the English Premier League, with an average difference of -0.009. Following the Premier League is Spain’s La Liga with an average difference of -0.031. Coming in last, largely due to 22% of the league finishing in the bottom four spots, is the Bundesliga with a disappointing average of -0.1639. Overall, the expectation of a goalkeeper in the top five leagues of Europe is to meet or exceed an xCG difference of -0.019. Below you can see how your club’s starting goalkeeper performed in relation to the rest of Europe’s best.

Along with xCG Difference, we can look at save percentage as a metric to evaluate goalkeepers. While the downside of save percentage is it does not account for those shots that a goalkeeper realistically has no chance of being able to stop, there is still a noticeable correlation to save percentage and xCG Difference.

Much like the Bundesliga representing four out of the five worst spots in xCG Difference, Ligue Un fills out four of the top five spots for save percentage. However, the highest save percentage (as of November 24th, 2019) is Worjiech Szczesny of Juventus, with a percentage of 0.837. Following Szczesny is a tie for second, with Dijon’s Alfred Gomis and Montpellier’s Geronimo Rulli with a save percentage 0.83. Behind the duo is a familiar face in Predrag Rajkovic with a save percentage of 0.816. Rounding off the top five is Paris Saint-Germain’s new transfer Keylor Navas, bringing with him a 0.808 save percentage.

On the other end of the perspective, we see just three Bundesliga goalkeepers in the bottom five this time. Kepa appears as fifth worst with a save percentage of 0.537. Behind is another tie with Timo Horn and Eibar’s Marko Dmitrovic with save percentages of 0.5. xCG Difference bottom-feeder Jannik Huth finishes second from last with a save percentage of 0.485. Finally, the worst of the worst, Borussia Dortmund’s Roman Burki. Burki’s save percentage this season is just a mere 0.469.

Now that the good and the bad has been discussed, what is the average? Ligue 1 tops the save percentage category with 0.725, followed by Serie A’s 0.703, then the Premier League with 0.688. Finishing fourth is La Liga, with an average save percentage of 0.677. Despite the noble efforts of Pavao Pervan (0.789) and Yann Sommer (0.776), the Bundesliga again falls to fifth in the rankings, bringing an average save percentage of 0.653 with them. Overall, the average save percentage of Europe’s top five leagues is 0.690. Pictured below is the correlation between save percentage and xCG Difference.

Distribution
In terms of goalkeeper distribution, it is important to stress the level of realistic subjectivity needed in evaluation. When we look at long passes completed, there is no poor number. A goalkeeper with a large number of long passes completed is not necessarily better than the goalkeeper with a lower or moderate number due to the fact that a goalkeeper’s requirements in distribution are dependent on a team’s quality and style of play. If the play is route one, naturally there will be more long balls played. If a relegation-battling side are facing a title-battling side, it is more likely that the goalkeeper on the relegation-battling side is going to be forced into sending the ball far rather than playing out of the back. On the contrary, a goalkeeper who is averaging 22.81 completed short passes per match (Yann Sommer, Borussia Monchengladbach) is more likely to be on a side enjoying reasonable success. When it comes to goalkeeper evaluation and the potential scouting of a replacement, it is crucial to be identifying the replacement that best fits your club’s realistic needs.

Looking at data collected on November 27th, 2019, we can see the highs and lows of short passing, long passing, and received passes. However, due to (as discussed in the previous paragraph) this being a reflection of team quality and style of play, we will only be discussing the high performers in each category and the averages. Starting with short passing, we finally see the Bundesliga at the top, taking all five spots for highest short passing averages. With the most in Europe comes Bayern Munich’s Manuel Neuer with 26.73 short passes per match. Neuer is followed by Bayer Leverkusen’s Lukas Hradecky (23.4) and ‘Gladbach’s Yann Sommer (22.81). Rounding out the top five is Paderborn’s Jannik Huth (20.44) and Hoffenheim’s Oliver Baumann (20.07). Despite the top five goalkeepers all averaging greater than 20 short passes per match, the average across the top five leagues drops to 11.237.

Shifting to long passes, we still see three Bundesliga goalkeepers in the top five. In the pole position, we see newly-promoted side Union Berlin’s Rafal Gikiewicz, who averages 13.8 long passes per match. Close behind is another newly-promoted side in Granada with Rui Silva, who averages 13.28 long passes per match. In third and fourth comes Eintracht Frankfurt’s Kevin Trapp (12.25) and Bayer Leverkusen’s Lukas Hradecky (12.02). Rounding off the top five is another newly-promoted goalkeeper in Sheffield United’s Dean Henderson, who averages 11.38 long passes per match. Europe’s average elite goalkeeper plays 7.424 long passes per match.

In order to pass the ball, you have to receive the ball. This means goalkeepers must be able to safely position themselves as a passing option for their team, who may have no other option but to drop back, or the side may just be looking to restart play. Given his appearance in both the top five of short passing and long passing, Lukas Hradecky finds himself at the top of the list for received passes with 27.72 per match. Following Hradecky is the sweeper-keeper himself, Manuel Neuer, with 23.94 per match. In third and fourth we see Yann Sommer (23.13) and Brighton’s Mat Ryan (20.38). Finishing fifth is Rafal Gikiewicz with 20.31. While these five top the 98-goalkeeper deep pack, the average goalkeeper is tasked with receiving 12.36 passes per match.

So what are the expectations?
Bringing it all back together, we know what the top five in each category produce. We know the worst shot-stoppers and we know the averages, so what would the most perfectly average goalkeeper in one of the top five leagues of Europe look like? What would the overall best be, or perhaps the overall worst?

Using the table above, we can see what it takes in the five aspects to be the best of Europe’s big five, along with being the worst or just simply meeting the expectations of a modern elite goalkeeper. However, these five metrics are not the only aspects that make or break a goalkeeper. Ranging from shot-stopping and distribution to communication and mental strength, the list of what makes a great goalkeeper goes on far too long and cannot be completely quantified. When kickoff comes, is your club’s goalkeeper meeting the expectations of a modern elite goalkeeper?

By Aidan Reagh

Just a week before Christmas, LaLiga gives us the gift of a Clásico. What are the game plans of both teams? What wingers should Zidane use to best compensate for the absence of Eden Hazard? What will be the key individual duels in the game? In this preview, we’ll try to answer these questions.

Real Madrid’s Principles of Play: Dangerous Possessions and Counterpressing
Despite a shaky start to the season, Real Madrid manager Zinedine Zidane appears to have found a formula that gets his team to play some damned good football based on two key principles.

Ball progression and disordering defenses through the left flank.
Real progresses through midfield and reaches the final third through three main ingredients. The progressive passing of Ramos and Kroos, Hazard’s progressive runs and dribbles, and Benzema’s movements in between lines to receive passes and combine with teammates.

Once in the final third, Kroos moves the ball from side to side with speed and precision, Hazard continues dancing past opponents, while Benzema moves through defenders like a ghost to shoot or assist teammates. Meanwhile, interior midfielders Kroos and Valverde move into zone 14, ready to unleash devastating long-distance shots.

Real Madrid passmap vs Leganés (Oct-30-2019):
In this 4-3-3 structure, Kroos controls his team’s ball progression, while Hazard and Benzema stay close to each other for quick passing combinations.

Press and counterpressing through Kroos and Valverde.
This season, Zidane has introduced Fede Valverde to the starting lineup over the aging Luka Modrić. With that move, Zidane has gained a valuable defensive asset. Uruguayan blood flows through Valverde’s veins and it shows. Valverde presses opponents with intelligence and intensity, and he can quickly recover if he is overpassed or makes a mistake. When Real Madrid reach the opposition box, Valverde and Kroos await right outside the box to shoot, collect second balls and counterpress to prevent opposition counterattacks.

The Absence of Hazard and The Question of Wingers

Real Madrid loses a lot with Hazard’s injury. His runs and dribbles allow the team to cut deep into opposition defenses, but the Belgian also knows when to pause, which allows his team time to attack and counterpress as a unit. Replacing him proves difficult because no one else in the squad can provide that paradoxical mix of pause and explosiveness. Vinicius has the explosiveness but lacks the pause, while Isco has the pause but lacks the explosiveness.

Real Madrid passmap vs Espanyol (Dec-7-2019):
Vinicius, unlike Hazard, does not seem too interested in pausing and waiting for his teammates to catch up to him.

Zidane also has a conundrum on the right wing, where he must decide between Rodrygo and Bale. Despite his injuries and aging legs, the Welshman has a higher goal + assist rate (0.57 goals + assists per ninety minutes) than any forward in the squad other than Benzema, with his numbers backed by a solid expected goal and assists per ninety minutes of 0.47. However, Rodrygo has been a bit more consistent and effective at attacking the box and getting into goal scoring positions, and Benzema will need all the help he can get in the box against Piqué and Lenglet.

As usual, it is very hard to predict what goes on inside Zidane’s head. Zidane normally cares more about pause than explosiveness, and given his love for setups with four midfielders, we would normally guess that Isco will start. However, in the previous game against Valencia Zidane rested Vinicius rather than Isco, which gives us evidence to the contrary. On the opposite wing, Zidane seemed to trust Rodrygo more than Bale, but he rested the Welshman against Valencia. More head-scratching ensues.

Given by how Isco was used against Valencia – more as a left winger – we do believe that Zidane will stick to a 4-3-3 shape rather than the 4-4-2 diamond used in their second group stage game against Paris Saint-Germain.

Barcelona’s Principles of Play: More Goal-Scoring Efficiency Than Tactics
Surprisingly, Barcelona comes to this Clásico with a less recognizable tactical identity than their opponents. Due to injuries and tactical experiments, Valverde has not settled into a well-defined tactical structure. At the beginning of the season, Messi’s injury led Valverde to experiment with a very positional and high pressing 4-3-3 system that used wide wingers and aggressive interior midfielders.

Messi’s return – as usual – changed everything. With Suárez and Messi having a lackluster defensive work rate, Barcelona now press less aggressively, with Griezmann staying back as a left winger and Barcelona forming a low to medium 4-4-2 block without the ball. With Griezmann and Messi drifting away from their wings in the offensive phase, Barcelona often attacks without true wingers.

Valverde had settled into a midfield trio of Sergio Busquets, Arthur Melo and Frenkie de Jong, but things have changed with the untimely injury of the Brazilian midfielder, who will be absent from the Blaugrana lineup throughout December. This has forced Valverde to rely on his old midfield lieutenant, Ivan Rakitić, who will be starting in the right central midfield role for the Clásico. This allows De Jong to play at left central midfield and control games from his preferred left deep midfield position.

Valverde's tried de Jong high in the channels, at pivot, and covering for Messi. Now, with Rakitić on the right, Frenkie's starting plays from his favorite deep left pocket, where his dual pass-run threat creates space and helps Barça's buildup structure.

Given all the tactical changes, the only constant in Barcelona’s play is the wicked goal-scoring power of the Griezmann-Suárez-Messi trio. They punch harder than anyone in LaLiga, and that allows Barcelona to win or at least survive games where opponents outplay their rather fragile tactical structure. Their latest match against Real Sociedad provides us with an example of this: La Real outpressed and outshot Barcelona nineteen shots to nine, yet the game finished 2-2 due to the clinical finishing of the Blaugrana striker trio and a monster Piqué performance.

Barcelona passmap vs Real Sociedad (Dec-14-2019):
Barcelona’s buildup phase struggled against Real Sociedad’s pressing. De Jong could not control the game from his preferred deep left pocket and the team struggled to connect their midfield and forward lines.

The Key Matchups: Valverde vs De Jong, Messi – Griezmann vs Casemiro, and Benzema vs Piqué – Lenglet

One of the most prominent individual duels in this game will be the face-off between the two young central midfielders of each side. On Real Madrid’s right side, Valverde will be tasked with pressing and shutting De Jong—Barcelona’s left-sided midfielder—out of the game. If the Dutchman can consistently dribble his way past Valverde, Barcelona will find it much easier to progress through midfield zones and connect with Messi.

Barcelona’s 4-3-3 buildup structure against Real Madrid’s 4-3-3 pressing block.

Barcelona’s 4-3-3 buildup structure against Real Madrid’s 4-3-3 pressing block.

Further ahead, Griezmann has the mission to draw the attention of Casemiro and Varane, giving more time and space for Messi to attack zone 14 and have an impact on the game. If the Frenchman stays too close to the left wing, Messi will have a much harder time eluding the marking of Real’s defenders. Additionally, Griezmann will also look to run into the channel between Carvajal and Varane whenever possible, either to create space for Messi or to score himself.

On the other end of the pitch, stay on the lookout for the battle between Benzema and center-backs Piqué and Lenglet. Barcelona looks less compact than in previous seasons, and Benzema will exploit this additional space in between the lines mercilessly. If Piqué and Lenglet fail to show their more aggressive versions and close down these gaps, Benzema’s movements will consistently allow Real to progress through midfield and create chances. Benzema also looks sharper than ever inside the box, so the center back pair will have to bring their A-game in this zone, too.

Who will dominate?
If Isco starts, Real might be better able to attack and counterpress as a unit, but they will lack bite in the final third to turn their attacks into shots. If Vinicius starts, Real might have an easier time producing shots, but his lack of pause will make the team less compact and able to counterpress, leading to a higher tempo game where both sides trade punches. And you do not want to trade punches with Barcelona’s forwards…

That being said, it seems easier for Real Madrid to break through the Barcelona press and progress through midfield than vice-versa, so our guess is that Los Blancos will have the tactical edge. However, their dominance over the game can be fragile: if Barcelona scores a goal, Real could easily collapse, become desperate and lose their collective structure. This pattern has repeated itself many times in the last five.

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