Vinicius Junior, Erling Haaland & Co – Will Real Madrid v Manchester City second leg be most valuable match ever?

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Potential combined market value of €1.73b 

©TM/IMAGO

Last week at the Etihad, football fans were treated to another enthralling Champions League spectacle between Manchester City and Real Madrid, as Los Blancos came from behind thanks to two late goals to win 3-2 in Manchester. It was the eleventh game the two sides have played against each other in the competition in the last 10 years, and the encounters rarely disappoint. There are usually plenty of superstars on show.

When we combine all the market values in both team’s XIs, last week’s first leg became the second most valuable football match of all-time – only narrowly beaten by €500k by the El Clásico between Real Madrid and Barcelona in the Supercopa final in January. Between Man City (€682 million) and Real Madrid’s sides (€984.5m) there was a combined market value of €1.67 billion. However, some valuable players were on the bench that evening, and the match in the Spanish capital this Wednesday could be set to eclipse all before it and become the most valuable football game in history.

If you had also taken into account all the players used from the substitutes bench last Tuesday then last week’s game at the Etihad would be the most valuable game ever. Highlighting the potential for Wednesday’s encounter to take the throne. Last week, €140m-valued Phil Foden wasn’t included in the starting XI, nor was Saturday’s hat-trick hero Omar Marmoush (€60m market value). Manuel Akanji and Jack Grealish, whom both started the first leg, are expected to miss out on the reverse fixture with injury. Erling Haaland and Rúben Dias had been slight doubts, but currently look set to overcome knocks and fitness issues to start at the Santiago Bernábeu.

Trying to second guess Pep Guardiola is never an easy task, but should he opt with the line-up shown in the graphic above, the XI would have a combined market value of €765m – €83m higher than the €682m-valued line-up last week. When it comes to Real Madrid, their injury-ravaged defence also looks to have received some good news ahead of the second-tie, with centre-back Antonio Rüdiger set to return. The German replacing academy centre-half Raúl Asencio looks the most likely option for manager Carlo Ancelotti to go with, although he could also drop midfielder Aurélien Tchouámeni, who has been deputising in that role.

Rüdiger’s inclusion looks likely to be the only change to the Real Madrid XI in the first-leg line-up, with the lethal front four of Jude Bellingham (€180m), Vinicius Junior (€200m), Rodrygo (€100m), and Kylian Mbappé (€160m) all set to start again for the 15-time Champions League winners. That side, showcased in the graphic above, would boast a eye-watering combined market value of €1b. If those two XIs get the nod, then the match would have a combined market value of €1.77b, making it by far the most valuable game in history.