Florentino Pérez sets the path: winning in the new Club World Cup format can bring enormous benefits. Real Madrid has already secured about €54M ($58.5M) by reaching the quarterfinals, and it can double that amount if it advances toward the title. The opportunity is on the table.
This is a lesson for Joan Laporta, who leads Barça from hardship. There is no better lever than the team's sporting successes.
Neither sales nor imaginative measures of dubious origin. Garlic soup has already been invented, and in soccer, there is nothing like winning to set the virtuous circle in motion.
Real Madrid has won a lot in the last five years. Barça, very little. That's why the white team is in a position to return from the United States with its pockets full.
That's why Barça is not invited to these parties. It has not deserved it because it has lost much more than it has won.
How much does a champion take?
In this 32-team tournament, the champion can pocket up to $125M (€117M), including prizes for the group stage and knockout rounds.
Real Madrid will return from the World Cup with its pockets full of cash | Getty Images, PixaBay, Madrid-Barcelona
The distribution of prizes phase by phase
Participation: European clubs receive between $12.8M and $38.2M just for qualifying.
Incentives: $2M per win and $1M per draw in the group stage.
Round of 16: +$7.5M.
Quarterfinals: +$13.125M.
Semifinal: +$21M.
Finalist: +$30M.
Champion: +$40M
Madrid has opened the tap
Real Madrid has already accumulated €43M ($46.6M) just for participating and advancing to the quarterfinals. If it wins the next rounds, it could surpass €110M ($119.3M). The quarterfinal stage adds €12.2M ($13.2M), semifinals €19.4M ($20.9M), and the title, another €37M ($40.1M).
Lesson for Laporta: other paths to money
In Barcelona, Laporta knows that every Real Madrid victory in the World Cup serves to sign footballers. He, on the other hand, needs to sell in order to buy.
The American experience is proving to be very profitable for Real Madrid | Getty Images, PixaBay, Madrid-Barcelona
Just by reaching the semifinals, the cash box would rise more than with a player sale. It is a faster and cleaner way than negotiating transfers.
The strategy: focus on the tournament
With the new Club World Cup calendar (June 14–July 13), finishing among the best already guarantees great income. That's why Real Madrid has prioritized this tournament with its best squad, even sacrificing its footballers' vacations and rest.
