In July of 2024, the world-renowned French striker Kylian Mbappé left his former club, Paris Saint Germain (PSG), and signed a five-year deal with the Spanish football club Real Madrid, making headlines across the football world.
Though a joyous occasion for Real Madrid fans, Mbappe’s monumental signing reflects a concerning trend in club football. In recent years, it seems that more than ever before, the wealthiest clubs have been attracting the best players and achieving unparalleled league dominance, leaving no hope for less funded teams. And fans of these unfortunate teams are not happy.
Currently, in the entire Spanish football league, six out of the top ten highest-paid players belong to Real Madrid, with Mbappé holding third place, Vinicius in sixth, and Bellingham in seventh. Of the other four spots, FC Barcelona holds three of them.
Real Madrid and Barcelona are the wealthiest teams in Spanish football, with their respective values being €1,360 million and €888.5 million. The third wealthiest club, Atlético Madrid, is valued at €479.15 million, just over half of Barcelona’s value.
Since the 2014-2015 season, excluding one season where Atlético Madrid won, the Spanish league title has been won by either Real Madrid or Barcelona. Just last year, Real Madrid won their 15th UEFA Champions League title, a tournament that brings together the best teams from across Europe to compete for the most prestigious trophy in club football.
The Paris-born PSG fan, Sohann Renac, voiced his concerns with Mbappé’s signing with Real Madrid.
“Why do they [Real Madrid] need him?” Renac said, “They already dominate so much, and without Mbappé, PSG has lost one of our only good players!”
Similar to Mbappé’s club change, last season, the English national team superstar and former Tottenham Hotspur striker, Harry Kane, transferred to FC Bayern Munich. Until just last season, when Bayer Leverkusen went on a magical undefeated streak to win the title, Bayern Munich had won the German league every year since 2012. Bayern Munich, valued at €945.6 million, pays Kane an annual salary of £20 million, almost quadrupling what he made at Spurs (£5.2 million).
Tottenham Hotspur fan Andrew Kerley 25′ is heartbroken over the transfer.
“It is a great loss for our team. He was definitely one of our best players, and without him, our hopes of winning the Premier League have gotten even slimmer,” Kerley 25′ said.
In the English Premier League, the Saudi City Football Group-owned club, Manchester City, valued at $4.25 billion, has won the English League title every season since 2020 and the UEFA Champions League in 2023. Their star striker, Erling Haaland, signed a 5-year, $97,500,000 contract with them in 2022, a significant increase in pay from the £8.5 million a year he made at Borussia Dortmund.
“I have grown sick and tired of seeing such unilateral dominance conducted by Manchester City,” Kerley 25′ said.
All three clubs, Real Madrid, Bayern Munich, and Manchester City, dominate not only their domestic leagues but the global football stage, largely due to their financial might. With the resources to attract top talents from other clubs, they’ve established an almost unshakable hold on success.
Fans have grown frustrated, feeling that their teams are left to compete in a league where wealth, rather than skill, scouting, or coaching, determines success.
Still, the game continues to grow, as the global soccer market is expected to generate $56.67 billion in revenue in 2024, with a projected annual growth rate of 3.31% from 2024 to 2029, according to Statista. As fans continue to fill stadiums, the leagues have no incentive to address the financial disparities between teams.
Some fans remain hopeful that the playing field will be leveled.
“I’m happy the game is growing, and even though it can suck, I still like to watch,” Kerley, 25′ said, “I just hope that as the game evolves and grows, the discussion around fairness grows as well.”
