Football Benchmark

🏆 As the proud official data and analytics partner of the European Golden Boy, Football Benchmark would like to congratulate FC Barcelona’s Lamine Yamal for winning the Golden Boy Absolute Best 2024 award with an index score of 94.6 on the Golden Boy Football Benchmark Index. 🇪🇸 This comes after an impressive year where 17-year-old Yamal became the youngest player ever to win a major international tournament, at the age of just 17 years and 1 day, as Spain could lift the Euro 2024 trophy this summer. Furthermore, the wonderkid was named as the Young Player of The Tournament. 🤝 Powered by Tuttosport #yamal #goldenboy #fcbarcelona #football

⚽️ Last week, Football Benchmark had the privilege of participating in the European Club Association (ECA) Financial Sustainability Conference, a highly engaging two-day event dedicated to shaping the financial future of European football. The conference commenced with the Finance Working Group session and featured in-depth discussions on key topics, including: 🔹 The current landscape of European football clubs 🔹 Updates on the regulatory environment, with a focus on UEFA’s Financial Sustainability Regulations 🔹 The Anti-Money Laundering framework 🔹 New European competition formats and financial distribution mechanisms 🗣️ Football Benchmark’s CEO & Founder, Andrea Sartori, contributed to the discussions with a presentation titled “Transfer market analysis: The role of the transfer market as a revenue redistribution mechanism in the European football pyramid.” This event brought together 290 representatives from clubs and stakeholders, including senior representatives from UEFA, the CFCB, and the European Commission. Together, participants shared insights and strategies to address the financial challenges and opportunities shaping the football industry today. 🔍 With financial sustainability at the core of discussions, the conference highlighted the evolving role of CFOs, the necessity of adaptability, and the importance of collaboration in fostering a resilient and prosperous future for European football. We extend our gratitude to the ECA for organizing this impactful event and for the opportunity to contribute to such an important dialogue. #ECA #FootballBenchmak #FinancialSustainability #Football

🇦🇷 New Argentinian president Javier Milei is floating with the idea of allowing foreign ownership of the country’s football clubs, similarly to the Brazilian model change in 2021. 🚫 This would allow the clubs, who so far have been membership driven, to bring in private investors to help financially. However, the Argentine Football Association (AFA) are oppposed to the idea, with Boca Juniors also disagreeing and saying “Our club belongs to its people, its members, and its partners who make it greater each day”. 💰 Despite the bigger Argentinian clubs like Boca Juniors being able to maintain a healthy financial situation, the membership fees aren’t enough to cover costs for all clubs. Generally speaking, the Brazilian clubs therefore outperform the Argentinian clubs financially, with CR Flamengo generating €198 million in total operating revenue compared to Boca Juniors’ €127 million. 🇧🇷 And since the Brazilian model change in 2021 to allow clubs to bring in investors, there have been some significant acquisitions. The biggest deal was that of the Abu Dhabi United Group, who owns the City Football Group, acquiring a 90% stake in EC Bahia for an estimated €193.4 million, making it the City Football Group’s 2nd largest club investment after Manchester City. Should Argentinian clubs allow foreign ownership? #argentina #brazil #football #footballfinance

⭐️ Great Partnerships and Inspiring Conversations 🤝 We extend our sincere thanks to the Social Football Summit team for their excellent cooperation and congratulations on hosting such a well-organized and impactful event. It was a privilege for Football Benchmark to participate as a proud partner in this gathering of industry leaders and innovators. We were honored to contribute to the event through the panel discussion moderated by our CEO and Founder, Andrea Sartori, on “The Future of Football: Growth and Development of Youth Academies.” 🗣️ We are especially grateful to Federico Cherubini, former Football Director at Juventus, and Pouya Yaghoubinia, Football Development Manager at the ECA, for their valuable contributions to the discussion. Their insights provided a deeper understanding of the opportunities and challenges in youth development. Please see below for some moments captured during this inspiring panel. We look forward to continued collaboration and advancing key conversations that shape the future of football. #SocialFootballSummit #FootballBenchmark #FootballBusiness #YouthDevelopment #FutureOfFootball

🔍 FIFA recently published the regulations for the upcoming Club World Cup, which contains rules for multi-club ownerships (MCO). This could alredy prove to be a problem for certain clubs. The most notable rules are: 🔹 No one may simultaneously be involved, either directly or indirectly, in any capacity whatsoever in the management, administration and/or sporting performance of more than one club participating in the Competition. 🔹 In case of multiple clubs from the same MCO/network qualifying, it is FIFA deciding who will be admitted based on the FIFA rankings. 🇲🇽 This can become a challenge for the two Mexican clubs CF Pachuca and Club León who’re both owned by the same MCO in Grupo Pachuca, who also controls clubs like Real Oviedo (Spain) and Everton de Vinã del Mar (Chile). As for other clubs already qualified, who’re also involved in a MCO or clubs’ network, the list counts Al-Hilal, Chelsea, Manchester City, PSG, Bayern Munich, Altético Madrid and Red Bull Salzburg. Only 1 slot for the Club World Cup is still available, and will be decided based on the Copa Libertardores final, with the draw for the competition expected for December. #fifa #football #clubworldcup

🇪🇸 Looking at FC Barcelona’s financial evolution, it’s evident that the club is returning to pre-covid numbers and is slowly stabilizing its financials. 📊 Last season, FC Barcelona recorded a profit before player trading (€14.5M) for the first time since the 2018/19 season, with a total operating revenue of €759M and total operating expenses of €744M. However, this marked a drop in revenue compared to the 2022/23 season. This was mainly due to a -€73.6 million decrease in matchday revenue compared, driven by the fact that Barcelona had to play the whole season at the Estadi Olimpic. What are your expectations for the financial future of Barca? #fcbarcelona #laliga #football #footballfinance

🔍 An interesting look at this season’s top performers in La Liga so far, and their squad value per point won. 🔝 FC Barcelona and Real Madrid tops the La Liga table to far, with respectively 33 and 27 points, and a squad value per point gained of €28M and €51M. 📊 One of the leagues’s over-achievers this season, looking at the squad value, is 5th place CA Osasuna with a squad value per point won of €5M, showcasing that market value doesn’t always translate into success on the pitch. This can also be seen with Sevilla, who despite having a squad value of €217M, are 13th in La Liga with 15 points, and therefore a squad value per point won of €14M. #laliga #fcbarcelona #realmadrid #football

❓Investing in star players – What could go wrong? 🆕 In our latest analysis we analyse both sides of the transfer market — buyers and sellers — exploring how high-spending and talent-developing clubs each play distinct yet interdependent roles. We also highlight a shift in strategies, providing insight into how clubs on both sides of the market may be adapting to recent transfer trends. Key insights: 🔸Post-pandemic recovery 🔸Concentration of spending power 🔸Transfers as a fundamental source of income 🔸Investing in star players 📬 Stay informed about the football business landscape by subscribing to our newsletter for more exclusive content and expert insights. #football #business #footballbenchmark

📱 With the Real Madrid organisation having recently surpassed 600 million followers across all of its 37 official accounts, let’s take a look at which football clubs are the most followed on social media 🇪🇸 The Spanish giants remain dominant in terms of their social media presence, with Real Madrid CF being the most followed club in the World with over 444.7 million followers, while their rivals FC Barcelona can be found in 2nd place with over 400.3 million followers. 🌍 The La Liga clubs are then followed by the other traditional European giants, who despite great success on the pitch, haven’t been able to amass a following which comes close to that of Los Blancos and Blaugrana. In fact, 16 of the 20 teams are from one of the ‘Big Five’ leagues, with the most represented league being the Premier League with the 6 teams Manchester United (232.2M), Manchester City (171.6M), Chelsea (157.2M), Liverpool (147.3M), Arsenal (109.6M) and Tottenham (104.7M). 🇧🇷 The most followed squad outside of the ‘Big Five’ leagues is Brazil’s CR Flamengo with 58.2 million followers across all platforms, just ahead of Cristiano Ronaldo’s Al-Nassr with 56.1 million followers. #realmadrid #football #socialmedia #football

Tomorrow at 11:00 AM, the Social Football Summit in Rome will host an exciting panel discussion on “The Future of Football: Growth and Development of Youth Academies.” The panel discussion will be moderated by Andrea Sartori, Founder and CEO of Football Benchmark. This pivotal conversation will feature insights from two distinguished industry leaders: ⚽ Federico Cherubini, former Football Director at Juventus ⚽ Pouya Yaghoubinia, Football Development Manager at the ECA Together, they will explore the key strategies, challenges, and opportunities shaping the evolution of youth academies worldwide. This session promises to provide invaluable insights for professionals and stakeholders within the football community. Don’t miss this opportunity to join a forward-thinking discussion! 📍 Event Location: Social Football Summit, Rome, Stadio Olimpico ⏰ Panel Time: 20 November (Wednesday), 11:00 AM Football Benchmark is a proud partner of the SFS24. #SocialFootballSummit #SFS24 #FootballBenchmark