Product update:
The UEFA Champions League match ball for the final match of the Champions League 2009/10 season has now been released. The Finale Madrid ball will be used just for the final at the Estadio Santiago Bernabeu in Madrid on Saturday the 22nd of May 2010 – 20:45 CET.
The ball marks a small anniversary. It is the 10th year that adidas produces a special Finale ball for the Champions League final. The 2010 edition of the ball features all emblems of the previous 9 Finale balls in order to celebrate this anniversary.
The choice of colors to suit a Spanish context is red for Spain and white for Madrid. The link to Madrid through the white color might be slightly dubious (white is often used as background color in order to create a contrast – but what has that got to do with Madrid?). Red is often associated with Spain though. Red is found in the flag, in the red wine, in the blood from the bull fighting , the heat , the burned soil etc.
To learn more about the ball and the launch: Release of the Madrid Finale 2010 match ball
However, due to the fact that the ball is a special anniversary ball the local influence in the design is somewhat downplayed compared to previous editions of the Finale ball.
But nevertheless there is all a special logo for the Madrid 2010 Champions League Final just as has been the case in the past.
The logo incorporates the sandy, dusty, dry colors of La Mancha. The plateau where Madrid is located and where the soil is very dry and has this golden red color. One can see some patterns similar in style to tradition Spanish art work and a couple of footballs are also present in order to make the connection to the Champions League. And of course “the trophy with the big ears” which it is all about is also portrayed in the graphic.
News:
The tickets for the UEFA Champions League Final 2010 on the 22nd of May in Madrid at the Estadio Santiago Bernabeu are now up for sale.
The tickets can be purchased on the UEFA website BUT there is only a limited number of tickets up for sale worldwide meaning that one enters a draw about the right to purchase the ticket eventually: UEFA Champions League 2010 Madrid Finale tickets
The ticket were presented in Madrid on the 5th of March at a ceremony. The design of the tickets incorporate the official 2010 Madrid Finale logo.
So according to the UEFA Champions League website the total capacity on the night will be of 75000 spectators. 21000 tickets will go to each of the two clubs in the final. 11000 tickets will be distributed worldwide according to the principle mentioned above while another 2500 tickets will go to youngsters who support each of the two finalists at a discount. The remaining tickets will be sold locally to get the local residents a chance to enter the big match taking place in their city (in case the local team should fail to qualify). Even if Real Madrid should qualify the ticket distribution will remain in tact simply giving el Madrid a slight home court advantage.
News:
Real Madrid is the first football club (soccer team) to breach the 400 € million Euros a year in revenues.
The results were presented by Deloitte’s sporting business group on March the 2nd 2009 and cover the financial year 2008/09: Deloitte Money League 2010
Number 2 in the ranking is FC Barcelona helped by their stellar season 2008/09 and by the fact that the fiercest competitors are English clubs which saw their Euros results weakened due to the weak Pound-Sterling £.
According to the ranking Real Madrid had revenues of 401,4 million Euros for the season 2008/09. According to Real Madrid’s financial statement for the season 2008/09 that figure is 407 million Euros. Since the Deloitte figures are based upon the data of the clubs themselves it is a bit hard to figure out why there is this discrepancy and why the Real Madrid revenues have been adjusted downwards.
Real Madrid is clearly ahead of all other European clubs when it comes to generating revenues exemplified by the fact that the club has more around or more than the double in revenues than Italian heavy weights Juventus, AC Milan, and Inter. And Real Madrid is also clearly ahead of the major English clubs even though the Premier League is by far the most profitable at league level.
But Real Madrid and FC Barcelona are in a league of their own economically and sportingly in Spain where the closest competitors like Valencia, Atletico Madrid, and Sevilla do not even make it into the top 20 and thus have revenues of less than a 4th of what Real Madrid can show.
According to Real Madrid’s financial statement revenues of 420 milion euros are expected for the season 2009/10 and even though Spain is currently going through economic hardship and a prolonged recession this seems to be a very plausible target. With the new arrivals of the likes of Ronaldo and Kaka commercial have certainly been increased and stadium revenues most likely as well. A good run in the Champions League would of course be an important factor as well. Debts have surely also ballooned but the Deloitte’s money league is only focusing upon revenues making it an easy way to measure the clubs’ abilities to generate interest and thereby revenues around their product.
Profile:
Argentinian striker in Real Madrid Gonzalo Higuain is having another great season scoring many goals for los merengues. He was the topscorer for Real Madrid for the campaign 2008/09 and he looks set to compete with Cristiano Ronaldo for the honor for the season 2009/10.
Higuain wears the jersey number 20 for Real Madrid. Whether he will wear the number 20 jersey for the Argentine national team during the World Cup 2010 in South Africa is yet to be seen. Higuain only recently made his debut for the Argentinian national team and thus he does not have a fixed number for la seleccion like e.g. MESSI who wears the number 10 jersey.
Higuain wears jersey partly outside of the shorts. On top of that the socks are set up with tape so that they remain in place during the entire match. Higuain wears the number 20 shorts number on the left thigh.
In the video clip below one can follow Gonzalo Higuain on the pitch. One may notice not just the jersey but all also the shorts, socks, and boots.
Higuain plays in the Predator boots from adidas. A boot which secures the striker a powerful and effective shot with both velocity and curve in the ball. In the photo below another pair of Predator boots are seen behind Higuain. Those boots belong to fellow Argentinian Garay. One might notice that Higuain is playing in a long sleeve Real Madrid jersey while his teammate Xabi Alonso wears the shorts sleeve jersey. It is up to the player to decide whether he prefers a long or a short sleeve jersey.
News:
The American athletic footwear company Brooks is the official kit sponsor for the Chilean national soccer team.
The company has recently launched a new kit for the Chilean national team which will be worn during the World Cup 2010 in South Africa.
The kit consists of red jersey, blue shorts, and blue-white socks. The name and number kit with a small front number , a large back number , and a player name is all white.
The jersey is an all red affair. No contrast colors. Only the logos come in a different color than the basic red jersey. There is a Chile logo to the left chest. The white lettering surrounding the Chilean flag reads: Chile – Federacion Futbol de Chile. Chile – Chilean Football Association. There is a Brooks logo to the right chest. To the center of the jersey the small front number used by national teams will be placed. There is also a Brooks logo to the left arm sleeve.
In terms of Real Madrid players from Chile there are currently no players from Chile in the 1st team squad.
In the past the Chilean player Ivan Zamorano did have a great career at the Bernabeu though.
Ivan Zamorano these days is a popular figure and Chile and due to the fact that he has one of the most recognizable faces he is also very with advertisers. Not many individuals can be said to be household names in an increasingly fragmented world where niches tend to emerge from out of nowhere everywhere.
Analysis:
In 1986 when Argentina won the World Cup in Mexico the team played two very famous matches. The first one came in the quarter finals against England which ended up with a 2-1 victory for Argentina. The goals were the famous “hand of God” goal and then a sole run from the center of the field goal both by Maradona.
The second memorable match was the final against Germany. Argentina lead 2-0 , the Germans came back and leveled the match at 2-2 only for Argentina to clinch the win with a late goal for the final score of 3-2.
In the final Argentina played in their traditional blue – white striped home kit. However, for the match against England their used their reserve kit or away jersey which was a fairly bright blue.
For the World Cup 2010 in South Africa adidas which is the kit sponsor of Argentina has decided to re-create the jerseys from 1986 in a modern version. For the very reason that Argentina played in Le Coq back then would make it impossible to make an exact copy but the inspiration is clearly from the 1986 kit. Both for the Argentina home jersey and for the Argentina away jersey.
Among the current Real Madrid players who might wear this jersey during the summer’s World Cup matches are Gonzalo Higuain, Fernando Gago , and Garay.
Argentina will face Nigeria (green jersey), Korea (red jersey) and Greece (white jersey) at the group stages. If Argentina is to wear the away jersey during the first round it will most likely be against Greece.
Of interest in the photo besides the obvious hand play – the blue Argentina away jersey and the goalie reaching for the ball in vain is the Maradona Puma boots and the adidas Azteca official World Cup 1986 match ball.
Analysis:
The Real Madrid jerseys are delivered blank as default by adidas. Any customization taking place is on behalf of the retailer. The name and number kits whether player names and numbers or single letters and numbers are supplied by a different company. The retailer can then obtain the jerseys from adidas and the namekits from Sporting ID and the subsequently apply the namekits on the jerseys.
Most fans prefer to have their jersey printed with a player name and number from the current squad. The great stars account for the vast majority of the jerseys sold with a name and number kit applied. However, some people prefer to have their own name on the jersey or possibly some other writing relating to an event or the like.
Below we will look at the difference between the Real Madrid player jersey and the Real Madrid custom jersey.
Real Madrid player jersey Ronaldo 9:
The Real Madrid jersey 2009/10 comes with a black name and number kit.
The name is written in a straight line and the number is right below the name. The color is a solid black with no shadow and no secondary color scheme. Just the plain black. A classical style. One has to mention though that the numbers do have different color nuances giving them a slightly different look and feel compared to the letters. The number is equipped with a Real Madrid club logo in white and silver to the bottom of the number.
Real Madrid custom jersey own name:
Compared to the Real Madrid player jersey lets like at a Real Madrid custom jersey and see how the name and number kit looks like.
The jersey is the same. The letters are the same. The numbers are the same. Same style. Same size. Same quality. Same material. The only difference thus is the wording. Whether it be a player name from the current Real Madrid squad or whether it be a custom name whether referring to an event, one’s own name, a nick name, a former player etc.
The slight difference one might notice in the width of the space between the letters has an explanation. The player name comes in a name block where all the letters are attached to plastic and only has to be applied using a heat transfer printer. The custom name is set-up placing single letters next to one another by the print person. It is thus up to this individual to set the distance between the letters which can vary according to the size of the jersey in order to get the proportions right. Let’s say a jersey size XXL with a short name might command larger space between the letters than a small youth jersey with a long name.
Analysis:
According to the website futebolfinance.com there are 3 current Real Madrid players among the world’s 10 best paid soccer players: Number 1: Cristiano Ronaldo – 13 million Euros a year – Real Madrid
Number 2: Zlatan Ibrahimovic – 12 million Euros a year
Number 3: Lionel Messi – 10,5 million Euros a year
Number 4: Samuel Eto’o – 10,5 million Euros a year – (former Real Madrid) Number 5: Ricardo Kaka – 10 million Euros a year – Real Madrid
Number 6: E. Adebayor – 8,5 million Euros a year Number 7: Karim Benzema – 8,5 million Euros a year – Real Madrid
Number 8: Carlos Tevez – 8 million Euros a year
Number 9: John Terry – 7,5 million Euros a year
Number 10: Frank Lampard – 7,5 million Euros a year Number 17: Raul Gonzales – 6,5 million Euros a year – Real Madrid
Number 21: Robinho – 6 million Euros a year – (former Real Madrid) Number 22: Iker Casillas – 6 million Euros a year – Real Madrid
Number 31: Arjen Robben – 5,5 million Euros a year – (former Real Madrid)
Number 43: David Beckham – 5 million Euros a year – (former Real Madrid) Number 45: Lass Diarra – 4,8 million Euros a year – Real Madrid
Number 48: Nicolas Anelka – 4,8 million Euros a year – (former Real Madrid)
Among the 50 best soccer players in the world there are currently 6 Real Madrid players.
FC Barcelona has 8 players on the list.
Chelsea FC has 6 players on the list.
New kid on the blog Man City has 6 players on the list.
The more prudent Manchester United and Bayern Munich are each represented with “just” 4 players.
Analysis:
Translation of the pages 6 and 7 in the Real Madrid financial statement 2008/09.
Player salaries compared to total revenues:
The percentage is the coefficient between the total player compensation and the total revenues of the club (before amortization of assets).
This is the most commonly used financial indicator in order to measure a club’s financial health and its’ operational efficiency and thereby its’ future prospects.
The increase in income has been accompanied by an effort to curb costs and to improve the efficiency which is shown by the improved ratio revenues/player compensation which has been reduced to 46% for the season 2008/09. This not with standing higher costs associated with indemnifications to injured players and non players (e.g. sacked coaches) for the season 2008/09.
Real Madrid is located below the 50% mark which is considered the mark of excellence and way below the 70% mark which is the maximum ratio recommended by the UEFA.
The graph shows a horizontal line at the 70% mark with the comment “maximum level recommended by the UEFA”.
Page 7:
Net Result before amortizations and the results from player transfers (EBITDA before player transfers)
To see a definition of EBITDA check the wikipedia: definition of EBITDA
The EBITDA (before player transfers) constitute the operating profit which the club achieves once the revenues have been deducted of the recurring player’s compensation and the rest of the operating costs. This is the source of resources which the club dispose of in order to make future investments in players and in installations which are defined in its’ development project as well as in order to comply with its’ financial obligations.
As one can observe in the budgetary liquidation account issued by the Memoria de las Cuentas Anuales for the season 2008/09 a EBITDA of 93 million Euros has been achieved slightly inferior to the result the previous year. One has to note though that the club has had to absorb loses of 14 million euros from insolvencies, risks and contingencies not present in the previous year. As well as one major one time write-off of 11 € million Euros net in indemnifications. If one adjusts the EBITDA for these effects the comparable number for 2008/09 versus 2007/08 would have been 118 € million Euros. The 93 € million euros of EBITDA represent a pre-tax profit of 23% on the gross revenues of 407 million euros. Of every one 100 euros of revenues the profit obtained is of 23 euros once the costs have been covered.
The final result shows that the positive evolution continues which corresponds to a development in the economic management whose objective is to improve the profitability by a combined effort of increasing the revenues and containing the costs.
Analysis:
Translation of the pages 4 and 5 of the Real Madrid financial statement 2008/09.
Page 4:
Consolidated statement corresponding to the financial year ending on the 30th of June 2009.
Revenues (amortization of assets – primarily player transfers).
In continuation we will present the financial statement of Real Madrid FC SAD including the evolution in the results of the campaign 2008/09.
The revenues for the season 2008/09 grew 11% year over year and reached 407 million euros €.
Thereby the objective for the budget of revenues of 400 million euros was reached.
This income stems from the 3 principal revenue streams of the club: stadium , television , and marketing.
Income from player transfers is not included in these numbers but are included in another part of the statement and can be found under the account dealing with the return on investment of capital investments.
The revenue streams which have contributed the most to the overall increase in revenue for the season 2008/09 have been television and marketing. On the other hand the revenues from the stadium after 2 years of strong growth have remained flat year over year for the season 2008/09.
The contribution by the members (socios) both when it comes to membership fees as well as season ticket subscriptions represent 10% of the total revenues.
Over a 10 year period 1999-2009 the revenues have grown by an average of 26% year over year.
When it comes to the future development – the strengthening of the brand through investments in great players and the exploitation of these player’s images through the 3 revenues streams and the continued expansion internationally continue to be some of the main weapon which the club posses in order to remain competitive and to maintain its’ position among the world’s leading clubs.
Page 5:
The composition of the clubs revenues (before amortization of assets).
1999/2000:
Total revenues of 118 million Euros:
26% marketing
40% stadium
34% television
2008/2009:
Total revenues of 407 million Euros:
32% marketing
29% stadium
35% television
4% friendlies and overseas tournaments
The club has achieved to obtain a balanced structure of revenue streams with about a third stemming from each of the major areas stadium, television, and marketing.
This diversification of revenue streams brings economic stability to the club cushioning against possible fluctuations in income due to the inherent unpredictability of the results on the field and the larger development in the macroeconomic outlook.
