manchester city have done it again showing everyone that they know how to get the best out of every situation they have just secured more than four million pounds from uefa in international payments this news has everyone talking about how they always seem to stay ahead of their rivals including arsenal who were their closest chasers in this race for the payout the story is part of the uefa euro 2024 club benefits programme which is a big plan designed to reward clubs for letting their players go for international duty
uefa understands that clubs do not like to release their players for national team competitions because there is always a risk of injury tiredness and travel issues players leave their club environments and managers lose control over them the schedule gets crazy and sometimes they come back in worse shape so to make things fairer uefa put together this massive 198 million pound fund to be shared among 901 clubs from 55 european football associations that money is meant to say thank you to clubs for letting go of their valuable assets for the nations league european qualifiers and the euro 2024 tournament itself
it’s a clever way for uefa to keep clubs happy and cooperating because without these clubs releasing their best players the international competitions would be boring empty and without quality imagine a euro tournament without the stars of manchester city or real madrid or bayern munich it would not sell tv rights it would not attract sponsors so uefa knows it has to keep these clubs sweet by paying them a share of the money earned from these big tournaments
the way the payment was calculated was simple for the nations league matches and the european qualifiers clubs got an equal share per player released but for euro 2024 itself there was a daily rate per player so if your players went deep into the tournament you earned even more that meant that clubs with lots of top internationals were going to do very well out of this programme english clubs as a whole got 39.9 million pounds that is almost forty million for just letting their players go away and represent their countries that money is so important in modern football because every penny counts when you are dealing with huge wage bills transfer fees and day-to-day running costs
but in england there was one clear winner in this payout race manchester city they landed 4.4 million pounds the largest payout in the country while arsenal who were next in line had to settle for 3.3 million pounds for city fans this was just another sign that their club is operating on another level they have more internationals they have players who go further in tournaments they have stars that every national team wants to use so the payout reflects the quality of their squad it’s not a surprise but it’s still something to brag about especially over rivals like arsenal liverpool man united and chelsea
liverpool themselves received 3 million pounds manchester united got 2.7 million and chelsea received 2.2 million so there was a clear hierarchy that lined up pretty well with the strength of these squads you could see that city were out in front arsenal close behind then the rest of the big clubs it’s another small victory for city’s recruitment strategy and for their ability to keep their squad packed with top level internationals
this uefa payout comes at a good time for city because they’ve had a very demanding season one that has been full of ups and downs and plenty of talking points they failed to win the premier league for a fifth year in a row that record streak was broken by liverpool who managed to outpace them over the whole season for city this was a bitter pill to swallow they are used to being the best they are used to controlling the league they are used to dominating everyone but this year things did not go according to plan
the first half of the season was a disaster by their standards they dropped silly points they lost games they should have won people were starting to wonder if pep guardiola had lost his magic touch was the team getting tired was the system being figured out by rivals there were all kinds of debates in the media among fans on social media it was a crisis by city’s high standards but to their credit they did not give up they did not sack pep they did not panic they just worked harder they made adjustments and they climbed back up the table finishing third which is respectable but not good enough for a team of their ambition
still even with that disappointment they are not going to end the season empty handed they have reached the fa cup final and will face crystal palace later this month that gives them a shot at silverware at redemption at sending a message that they are still a force in english football it would give the fans something to celebrate it would give the players something to hold onto and for pep it would be another trophy to add to his incredible collection
but it’s not been easy getting here the big problem all season has been injuries and people have started asking serious questions about the impact of so many games on the top players modern football is a non stop grind there is no time to rest players are asked to play in the premier league in europe in the fa cup in the carabao cup then there are international breaks where they fly all over the world play high intensity matches for their countries come back exhausted and sometimes injured
for city this has been a nightmare rodri has been their biggest loss he has been out since september with a serious knee injury and his absence has changed everything he is the metronome of the team the man who controls the midfield who breaks up play who sets the tempo who protects the defence without him city have looked vulnerable they have lost control in games they have looked less secure less dangerous and there is no easy way to replace him you cannot just go into the market and find another rodri he is one of a kind
this is exactly why clubs worry about international duty they can lose their most important players for months because of injuries picked up with their national teams the uefa payments are supposed to compensate for that risk but the truth is no amount of money can really replace your best player when he is missing in the big games so there is always this tension between clubs and national teams the clubs want to protect their investments the national teams want to use the best players to win matches and tournaments
pep guardiola has had to be creative all season trying different combinations in midfield using other players out of position adjusting his tactics to cope with rodri’s absence but it’s never been quite right and that’s why the title slipped away because when it mattered most they didn’t have their key man controlling things from the middle of the pitch
but city are not the only ones dealing with this every big club faces the same problem but city’s standards are so high that even a small drop has big consequences they have also had other players miss games with injuries and that has tested their squad depth their mental strength and their ability to compete on multiple fronts
yet even with all these challenges they keep finding ways to bring in money to keep the machine running the uefa payout is one example but there’s also the club world cup coming up this summer which is another huge source of revenue for the club the competition will take place in the united states from 15 june to 13 july it’s going to be massive with 32 teams taking part it’s the first time the club world cup has been expanded like this and fifa wants to turn it into another blockbuster event
for city this is both an opportunity and a challenge the opportunity is clear they are guaranteed 30 million pounds just for taking part that’s money in the bank before a ball is even kicked and if they win the tournament they could get as much as 97 million pounds that kind of prize money can fund transfers wages facilities anything the club needs it’s huge and it shows just how much money there is in modern football
but the challenge is also obvious it’s more games in an already packed calendar more travel more chances for injuries more strain on players who are already tired from a long season for a manager like pep who is obsessed with detail and planning this is a headache but it’s one they will accept because the rewards are too big to ignore
they won’t be alone of course other european giants will also be there chelsea real madrid atletico madrid psg inter milan juventus bayern munich borussia dortmund porto benfica red bull salzburg these are all elite clubs with the same goals the same ambitions the same desire to win trophies and make money it’s going to be a brutal competition with no easy games and every team bringing their best players to try to win the big prize
for city this tournament fits perfectly with their owners’ ambitions the abu dhabi group wants to make city the biggest football brand in the world they have invested hundreds of millions to make the team successful to build a global fanbase to create a club that can compete with real madrid barcelona bayern munich liverpool and all the other giants on and off the pitch the club world cup is another platform to show their strength to attract more fans to sign more sponsorship deals to grow even bigger
but that’s all in the future for now the club can celebrate this latest payout from uefa it might not be enough to buy a superstar on its own but it helps keep things ticking over it’s money that can be used in many ways to pay wages to invest in the academy to improve facilities to help balance the books in an era where financial fair play rules are getting stricter and clubs have to be careful with how they spend every little bit helps
and it’s also a symbol of city’s strength the payout reflects the quality of their squad the number of top internationals they have the success of their recruitment strategy they are not just building a team for the premier league they are building a squad full of players who can play at the highest level for their countries who are trusted by national team coaches who can handle the biggest stages that is what makes them special and that is what keeps them ahead of their rivals
arsenal will look at that 3.3 million payout and know they did well but they will also know they still have work to do to catch city liverpool man united and chelsea will all be thinking the same because in modern football the margins are so small and any advantage matters getting more money from uefa might not win you the title on its own but it gives you another edge another tool to stay competitive
and city will take every edge they can get because they know the competition never sleeps they know their rivals are investing they know the premier league is getting stronger they know the club world cup will be another test they know the fans expect success they know the owners demand it they know pep will never settle for anything less than excellence so every payment every prize every deal every trophy matters it all adds up it all shapes the future of the club
that is why city are so relentless that is why they keep pushing even after disappointments like losing the league to liverpool even after injuries to key players even after the doubts and the criticism they keep finding ways to win they keep finding ways to grow they keep finding ways to stay ahead because they know that is the only way to survive at the top of modern football
so as the season draws to a close and they prepare for the fa cup final and then the club world cup they will be feeling confident they will be feeling hungry they will be feeling like they have unfinished business they will want to show everyone that manchester city are still the team to beat in england and in the world and this four million pound payout from uefa is just another step on that journey another reason for their rivals to worry another sign that city always find a way to blow everyone else away when it really matters
