Manchester City vs Inter Milan: Contrasting Paths to the Champions League Final

Manchester City will reach the Champions League final on Saturday as a financial heavyweight and modern football, compared to the Inter de Milan. This is a new twist in the European story of two teams that have rarely operated at the same level. and whose respective status, on and off the field, took a turn about 12 years ago.

Inter had the tradition and the aristocratic trophies while City were a third-rate English side when their cross-town rival Manchester United lifted the iconic European Cup in 1999.

“You’re kind of an old nobility,” European soccer consultant Olivier Jarosz told The Associated Press of Inter, “And you come from a working-class family that has made a good marriage with resources.”

However, both City and Inter were teammates in the failed Super League project in 2021, albeit for different reasons. Loss-making Inter were looking to avoid falling behind against English Premier League dominance; Financial giant City, backed by Abu Dhabi’s sovereign wealth, did not want to be left out.

Abu Dhabi’s petrodollars have been spent wisely as City, debt-free, head to Istanbul for their second Champions League final in three years. and just debuting their seventh Premier League title in 12 seasons.

In the same era, Inter went through three owners, recorded record losses, won Serie A only once and did not advance to the Champions League knockout phase until this season. He had even failed to qualify for six consecutive years.

City’s sustained success now sees it with overall revenue and sponsorship of any soccer team in the world last yearand the most expensive template with a cost of about 1.3 billion dollars in total.

Inter earned less than half of City’s revenue of some $784 million in 2022 and posted a loss of $150 million, according to UEFA’s latest industry analysis. The entire Inter line-up that started the second leg of the semi-final against AC Milan cost less in total transfer fees than a single City player$126 million for the record signing of Jack Grealish in the team that dismantled Real Madrid one night later.

“(Inter) are in the Champions League final despite their owners, and Manchester City are because of their owners”Kieran Maguire, author of “The Price of Soccer,” warned the AP on Thursday.