finance&football

By Davud Muminovic

2,4 billion: “It’s Just a Number”

A menace. Trash-talker. Instigator. A provocateur. The kind of player opponents hate but referees dread even more. One of those players who makes you wish football allowed hockey-style gentlemanly fistfights to “peacefully and dignifiedly” settle on-pitch disputes with bare knuckles.  

No flashy dribbling, no god-given speed, no impressive shooting – neither his left nor right foot was anything special. And yet, he became one of Germany’s most decorated players: 13-time Bundesliga champion, two-time Champions League winner, World Cup champion, and a key figure in that historic 7-1 demolition of Brazil.  

When talent was being handed out, Thomas Müller seemingly got the short end of the stick. Yet he won everything and became a legend. For both Bayern and Germany.  

Lacking obvious footballing gifts, he compensated with footballing IQ. He always knew where to be, how to arrive at the right place at the right time, and somehow nudge, poke, or toe-poke the ball into the net. He single-handedly invented a new football term: Raumdeuter: the Lord of Space.  

Everyone knew he was a football genius. But lately, as he stepped away from top-level European football, Müller has also been showcasing his regular intelligence. In debates about the ever-growing financial madness of the sport, he cut straight to the point with almost cynical precision.  

When asked by CBS about Florian Wirtz’s €150 million transfer from Bayer Leverkusen to Liverpool, Müller distilled what many are thinking:  

“What is €150 million? It’s unreal. It’s just a number between clubs. Who can imagine what €150 million means? You can’t have Neymar, but you can plant a lot of trees with it. How can you evaluate what €150 million means?”  

Football on Financial Steroids  

UEFA will distribute €3.317 billion across all European competitions this season. Of that, €2.467 billion goes to the Champions League alone.  

Each club gets a fixed €18.62 million just for showing up in the league phase. On top of that, teams earn €2.1 million per win and €700,000 per draw. The rewards skyrocket in the knockout rounds – mind-boggling sums that are hard to even comprehend.  

German Legends and Their Wisdom

Lothar Matthäus, a veteran of five World Cups and captain of Germany’s 1990 triumph, was one of the best players of his generation. He was the embodiment of discipline and responsibility. The embodiment of the German way of play. Yet, unlike today’s stars, he didn’t swim in money as a young player. He bought his first house not as a teenager; he could afford it after years of playing in the top European team, in his late twenties.  

“Players today only have to play football. In my time, it was different. We cleaned our own boots. Now every player has a personal assistant just for that.”  

Different times, different customs, says the former Germany captain, who, like his successor Thomas Müller, never shies away from speaking blunt truths.  

“I tell everyone: There’s a huge cake now, and everyone wants a piece. Salaries are higher, transfer fees are insane, merchandise is bigger, and shirt sponsorships generate more than 20 years ago. It’s not just players—agents, coaches, everyone profits because football is so popular. It’s market demand,” Matthäus says, almost resigned, claiming he doesn’t regret missing out on today’s paychecks.  

I suspect Matthäus would’ve swallowed the heartbreak of Man United’s last-minute comeback in the 1999 Champions League final a lot easier if today’s prize money had been around back then.  

Twenty-six years ago, UEFA wasn’t as transparent, but estimates suggest the Champions League prize fund has grown at least 20 times since 1999. Some say 30-fold.  

Matthäus sees this as inevitable.  

But is it really normal?

Playground for the Rich  

We’ve grown accustomed to inflation and rising prices. We accept them as inevitable. Especially after the pandemic, when central banks in the US and Europe adopted expansive monetary policies. Basically they printed money without any questions being asked. Yanis Varoufakis, the rogue economist (enemies call him an economic anarchist) and former Greek finance minister, frames our current reality bluntly:  

“So, what is really going on? My answer: A half-century-long power play, led by corporations, Wall Street, governments, and central banks, has gone badly wrong. As a result, the West’s authorities now face an impossible choice: Push conglomerates and even states into cascading bankruptcies, or allow inflation to go unchecked.”  

Varoufakis, who tried (and failed) to steer Greece onto a different path, was exiled from mainstream finance, relegated to writing provocative (but ultimately powerless) books.  

Football’s Hyperinflation

While this runaway inflation affects the global economy, football operates on financial steroids.  

Remember Thomas Müller:

“What is €150 million? It’s unreal. It’s just a number between clubs.”  

But it’s only “just a number” for the ultra-rich. For the rest of us, the working-class fans, football supposedly exists for – it’s an impossible sum.  

A Champions League group-stage ticket now costs €100+ – ten times more than in the 1990s.

The final? Reserved for those with bottomless wallets.

Varoufakis warned about economic collapse. Football didn’t collapse: it just priced out its own people.  

“Money is just a number” but only if you have infinite digits.