Chapter 456: Arsenal Performs a Miraculous Comeback, and Manchester City Gets a Good Draw in the Champions League
"What's the point of showing mercy? Winning a group stage match in the Champions League earns an additional 1.5 million euros in bonuses!"
Many people forget that the Champions League is not just about winning the big-eared trophy; it's also about the financial rewards for the participating teams. Thanks to the recent commercialization of the Champions League, UEFA has significantly increased the prize money.
This season, the prize money for the Champions League has surged by over 50%, with all categories seeing substantial increases. Therefore, participating in the Champions League means significant revenue for many teams.
According to UEFA's prize distribution standards, even if a team is eliminated without winning a single match, they will still receive a minimum base amount of 12 million euros. Besides this base income, there are additional prizes for the group stage, knockout rounds, and various stages like the Round of 16, quarterfinals, semifinals, and finals.
Winning a group stage match rewards 1.5 million euros, while a draw earns 500,000 euros. If a team advances to the Round of 16, they get an extra 5.5 million euros. Moving on to the quarterfinals adds 6 million euros. Reaching the semifinals brings an additional 7 million euros, and the final two teams get even more: the runner-up receives 10.5 million euros, while the champion takes home 15 million euros.
Importantly, these prizes are cumulative. If a team wins the championship, they collect all the prize money from the group stage to the final, totaling over 50 million euros. If a team wins all group stage matches, they can earn a maximum of 54.5 million euros.
Besides these bonuses, there is also revenue from TV broadcasting rights, which depends on the league and the number of participating teams. Generally, teams from the top five leagues earn higher broadcasting shares.
Last year, Manchester City earned a total of 30.5 million euros from broadcasting rights. This year's share should not be less than this amount. If City wins the championship again this year, their total earnings could exceed 90 million euros. If the winner is Barcelona, Real Madrid, or Bayern, this number could exceed 100 million euros due to their higher historical points.
The Champions League prize distribution is divided into four parts:
Entry prize of 12 million euros. Performance-based prize, varying from 0 to 42.5 million euros. Broadcasting revenue share. Historical points share.
The historical points share is based on accumulated points over the past ten years in the Champions League and Europa League. The more points accumulated, the higher the share. For instance, last year, Manchester City, as the defending champion, earned a total of 68 million euros, while runner-up Barcelona earned 78 million euros, 10 million more than City.
How did Barcelona achieve this? Simple: 30% of the Champions League prize money is allocated based on historical points over the past ten years. From 2004-2014, Barcelona accumulated the most points, earning them the highest historical points share of 20 million euros.
Before last year, City had participated in the Champions League only twice: one time they were eliminated in the group stage, and the other time they won the championship. So, compared to other top teams, their historical points are a significant shortcoming. Among the 32 teams last year, City's historical points ranked 19th, earning them only 8 million euros in the historical points share.
Interestingly, Juventus, which was eliminated in the quarterfinals last year, earned 62 million euros, almost catching up to City's total. Juventus benefited from being one of only two Italian teams in the Champions League, meaning they shared all of Serie A's broadcasting revenue. As a result, Juventus had the highest broadcasting revenue share among all teams, reaching an astonishing 48 million euros.
Such a substantial amount of money is significant for any team. Therefore, for major clubs, participating in the Champions League is not just about honor and prestige; it's also a crucial source of revenue.
...
For Guardiola, 1.5 million euros might not be a big deal, and City is not exactly short of money. He fielded many main players instead of substitutes in this match partly because the substitute players had just played in the League Cup and hadn't fully recovered.
The reason for playing the main squad in this final group stage match was to end on a high note with a victory, allowing the players to get accustomed to the rhythm of European competition and prepare for the upcoming knockout rounds. This year, the second-place teams in each group aren't particularly strong, so unless they get very unlucky, they should be fine. However, they can't be complacent—each year, there are examples of big teams crashing out unexpectedly in the Champions League. Guardiola himself has experienced this when his defending champion Bayern Munich was knocked out by Atlético Madrid.
Facing a well-rested and fully-prepared Manchester City, Borussia Mönchengladbach had no answers. The match ended with Manchester City thrashing Mönchengladbach 3-0 at home, completely shattering the latter's dream of advancing from the group stage.
With Manchester City's comfortable win, both Juventus and Sevilla breathed a sigh of relief. In their match, Juventus came out aggressively against Sevilla, even though a draw would have sufficed for them to advance. They seemed determined to secure a victory.
Morata was particularly outstanding:
In the 4th minute, he met Marchisio's cross from the right with a diving header that narrowly missed.
In the 6th minute, he cut in from the left and his low shot hit the post.
In the 9th minute, after weaving through defenders in the box, he was brought down, but the referee waved play on, sparking protests from Juventus players, leading to two yellow cards.
Despite their dominance, Juventus couldn't convert their chances, and the first half ended goalless. In the 66th minute, Sevilla broke the deadlock with a header from former Juventus player Llorente, pushing Juventus to the brink of elimination. Desperation set in, and Juventus launched an all-out assault on Sevilla's goal in the final minutes. Sevilla's defense held firm until the 91st minute, when Cuadrado's cross found Morata, who calmly slotted home to equalize. The match ended 1-1, sending Juventus through to the knockout stage.
The match attracted scouts from Real Madrid and Barcelona. While Barcelona seemed interested in Argentine starlet Dybala, Real Madrid's scouts were there for Morata. Despite missing several chances, Morata's decisive late goal under immense pressure impressed the Real Madrid scouts, bringing him a step closer to his dream return to the club.
The final group stage matchday of the Champions League featured many dramatic outcomes. In Group B, Manchester United's hopes were dashed as they lost 3-2 to Wolfsburg, while PSV Eindhoven's 2-1 win over CSKA Moscow saw them advance at United's expense. In Group E, Bayer Leverkusen's 1-1 draw with Barcelona wasn't enough to advance, allowing Roma to move forward. Group F saw Arsenal pull off a stunning 3-0 away win against Olympiakos, coupled with Bayern Munich's 2-0 win over Dinamo Zagreb, allowing Arsenal to scrape through to the knockout stage on goal difference.
Arsène Wenger couldn't hold back his emotions, hugging his players with tears streaming down his face. Their path to the knockout stage had been extraordinarily challenging.
Following the conclusion of the group stage, the draw for the knockout stage took place. Arsenal fans' jubilation was short-lived as they drew their perennial nemesis, Barcelona. The camera captured Wenger's reaction—his lips twitched slightly, clearly resigned to their fate. It seemed they always faced either Bayern Munich or Barcelona. What had Arsenal done to deserve this?
Chelsea fans were equally dismayed, drawing Paris Saint-Germain. Despite finishing top of their group, Chelsea now faced one of the strongest second-placed teams. Given Chelsea's inconsistent form this season, facing PSG was likely to be a daunting task.
"Oh no, Chelsea and Arsenal are in trouble again!" lamented one fan.
"Manchester United are already out, and now it seems only Manchester City might progress," another commented.
"Used to it by now; this isn't a new situation," another fan added.
Despite Manchester City's recent rise, there had been ongoing concerns about the overall strength of the Premier League in European competitions. Without City, the English clubs' performances had been disappointing compared to those from La Liga.
"Strong teams like PSG and Juventus are in the draw, but since PSG has been drawn against Chelsea and Juventus were in the same group as City, the remaining teams aren't as strong. City should have no problem reaching the quarterfinals," one fan noted optimistically.
"The real challenge will come in the quarterfinals with all the top teams," another fan remarked.
Despite City's strength, there was an underlying lack of confidence among Premier League fans, especially given the poor performances of other English teams in Europe. The undeniable success of La Liga teams in recent years only added to their doubts.
To the relief of City fans, the draw was favorable—Manchester City drew Dynamo Kyiv from the Ukrainian league. Though a long and potentially difficult away trip awaited, Kyiv was not considered a significant threat to City's progress.
As City fans breathed a sigh of relief, Chelsea and Arsenal supporters looked on enviously. Why couldn't their teams get such favorable draws?
Among the top teams, the draw had been kind overall. Real Madrid drew Roma, a matchup heavily favoring Madrid. Barcelona drew Arsenal, with Barcelona heavily favored to advance. Bayern Munich drew Juventus, a tough draw but Bayern's dominant form made them the favorites. Atlético Madrid drew PSV Eindhoven, a favorable draw likely to see them advance.
Once again, it seemed likely that three Spanish teams would make it to the quarterfinals of the Champions League.
(End of Chapter)
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