While League trophies and cups are a great accomplishment for any team, it is Champions League football that is the key to success in today’s game.
Some people will always think the Premier League and La Liga are the two most important trophies a club can win. Domestic success is often held close by fans and high-ranking officials within each club no matter what country they are in. Unfortunately, UEFA has forced this dynamic to change, making the Champions League the pinnacle of a club’s reach.
Winning in Europe has always been important, no doubt. But, it has never been so important financially and from the aspect of a club’s brand than it is today. You can thank all of the television and sponsorship deals for this as they have surely changed the landscape of football for years to come.
Players now go to clubs just to have Champions League success and glory. For a maximum 13 game tournament, players will literally pack up their families and move to get their hands on “Ol’ Big Ears”. Look at Neymar Jr. right now, as it surely looks like he is leaving Paris Saint-Germain for Barcelona to achieve exactly that.
It is not only a trophy these players have dreamed of winning, but the players also see the value and exposure they will get from the business side. Shoe deals will be more lucrative, partnerships with brands will grow, followers on Instagram will skyrocket.
Manchester United is seeing this problem firsthand right now because they are not in the Champions League next season. As a result, they are having a very difficult time swaying players to come to Manchester instead of a club like Liverpool who are the defending champions of the trophy.
It does not just stop with recruiting either. Not playing in Europe crushes the value of the club and because part of Manchester United is publicly traded on the NYSE they are facing the backlash. According to The Mirror,
"Last August, United shares were trading at $27.70 (£21.82) – valuing the club at £3.51bn. On Friday night, they closed at $18.08 (£14.24). That values the club at around £2.25bn. Disgruntled fans now hope the stock exchange meltdown will increase pressure on the Glazer family to sell the club they bought in a controversial £790m takeover in 2003."
Meanwhile, neighbors Liverpool and their owner John Henry are swimming in cash as they profited over $100 million this year, a record for the club and across the world. Being in the Champions League final two years in a row has given them nearly $200 million in reward money from UEFA for just playing in the game. Players are lining up to play on Merseyside because of it.
But it is not just in England. All across Europe, youngsters are leaving their parent clubs to chase silverware in the world’s largest competition. A perfect example is 19 year-old Joao Felix who is likely to be swayed by a move to Manchester City over staying at Benfica.
With that being said, the Champions League and specifically success in the tournament is what teams will live and die off for the next several decades. It is already dictating so much around the world, and as long as the checks get longer, the tournament will be the ultimate controller of club prestige.