The glory that Florentino Pérez has not been able to buy

BarcelonaAt the 2019 assembly of delegates, Florentino Pérez argued for the purchase of CD Tacón as "the moment to build a team that is capable of competing and of which you can all feel proud." As of July 1, 2020, that Madrid club became Real Madrid Club de Futbol Femení, enjoying better facilities and a growing budget that was supposed to catapult it to the elite. The reality is that, six seasons later, the team is still unable to overshadow a Barça that continues to win everything. The 7-0 on Sunday at the Camp Nou, with 40,000 fans in the stands despite the weather conditions, a balance of 25 blaugrana victories and only one for Madrid, or the 99 goals for and 12 against are the perfect proof.

In fact, people in the Madrid president's inner circle say that Florentino never really believed in the women's team, and that if he ended up incorporating it, it was because of popular pressure and the insistence of his closest advisors. "They made him see that many girls, especially young girls, who came from families with a Madridista tradition were growing up watching Barça matches because they could not look up to Real Madrid." In the end, he gave in, although the commitment has not been entirely decisive. While Barça decided some time ago to open the Camp Nou and let in more than 90,000 people to watch a women's football match, managing to break the attendance record in a Champions League duel against Wolfsburg (91,648), the president continues to refuse to open the Bernabéu. According to what former Madrid player Melanie Leupolz explained on the podcast Kicker FE:male, Florentino himself told the players that they would play there "when they won a title." For the moment, there is no trophy in the display case.

Everything that is glory for Barça represents a burden for Madrid that also affects the prestige of the Liga F and the tournaments played in Spain. Since 2020, the blaugranes have won every League title (7) and six of the seven editions of the Spanish Super Cup played so far, as in 2021 they lost in the semifinals to Atlético de Madrid in a penalty shootout. As for the Copa de la Reina, six, which might have been seven if they hadn't been disqualified in the 2022-23 season edition for fielding an ineligible player. Such an abysmal difference makes the barcelonisme smile while also generating criticism, even from the blaugrana players themselves. "We want to compete; everyone would like to see a competitive league. No matter how much I talk, nothing changes. Let everyone take responsibility for what they can do," said Aitana Bonmatí, captain and current Ballon d'Or winner, bluntly.

The business model that works in Barcelona

Aitana is not the only voice critical of the Spanish competition model. In fact, it is enough to look at the exodus of players to leagues like the English, French, or German ones to confirm that the Liga F has stagnated. Another good example is the television rights, which were put up for sale expecting a record turnover, but the auction ended empty. Finally, a lower agreement was reached with DAZN. Despite everything, Barça continues to invest in it, and last season it reaped the rewards again, reaching a turnover of 23.8 million, 17 of which were obtained from ticket sales –two Champions League matches were at the Camp Nou– and advertising. Of all the entity's sections, it is the only one that generates profits.

The 23.8 million budget for the blue and red team is far from the little more than 13 that Real Madrid allocates to it. At the salary level, about 13 million are invested in salaries in Barcelona, while the Madrid players are around 7.5, according to data from 2Playbook. The figure is evidently lower, although it notably exceeds the 6.8 that Manchester United, the highest-paying club in the English league, allocates to it. In any case, this difference in budgets is not the only reason to explain the imbalance that is evident on the pitch between the blue and red players and the Madrid players. The reason lies in the sports project.

The women's Madrid team started with only 2 million euros allocated to salaries. With the goal of catching up, it began to incorporate players by throwing money at it, investing 30 million euros in salaries since then. Money that only served to achieve league and cup runner-up finishes, and to reach the European knockout stages. Today, only five players are formed in the youth system. At Barça, the number of players formed at La Masia is not excessively higher (7), but the two reference players of the last four years are, Alexia Putellas –who said goodbye this summer– and Aitana Bonmatí, winners of the last four Ballons d'Or. The recruitment policy has been surgical, always thinking about a model of play rather than a collection of stickers. In Europe, it has reaped the rewards, achieving four Champions League titles after reaching seven of the last eight finals played. As Patri Guijarro said, "this is achieved through work and sacrifice. We don't want to stay on the same step, we don't want them to catch us. This is our secret, our DNA, and our demand".