It wasn’t easy and there was suspense until the last minute, but Real Madrid are through to the semifinals of the Club World Cup. The Whites beat Borussia 3-2 in a match they more or less controlled until a crazy finale. In the first half, Xabi Alonso’s team were almost perfect, getting off to a flying start with two goals from Gonzalo and Fran García in just 20 minutes. Maximilian Beier made it 2-1 in the 92nd minute, Kylian Mbappé scored a great goal to make it 3-1 in the 94th minute, and Guirassy made it 3-2 from the penalty spot in the 98th minute after Dean Huijsen was sent off, meaning he will miss the match against PSG. Courtois made a great save in the dying seconds to avoid extra time.
Step by step
Real Madrid started the tournament hesitantly, repeating past mistakes in the match against Al Hilal, in which they could not get past a draw with a solitary goal from Gonzalo and a missed penalty by Fede Valverde, which did not affect the player who has shown himself to be one of the pillars of the team and one of the standouts of the World Cup.
Little by little, Xabi Alonso’s ideas took shape and against Pachuca, despite playing with one man down from the 7th minute, the team managed to win comfortably, as they did against Salzburg in one of Xabi Alonso’s best games of the tournament.
In the round of 16, after finishing top of the group, they faced Juventus, who were the better side in the first half. In the second half, the team stepped up a gear and Gonzalo scored with a header from a cross by Trent. In the quarter-finals, the team played an almost perfect first half and controlled the game without any surprises until a crazy end that could have gone into extra time. Now PSG awaits in the semi-finals.
The money Real Madrid has already earned
Real Madrid’s progress in the Club World Cup is good news on a sporting level, but also financially for the club. By the time Real Madrid arrived in the United States to take part in the tournament, it had already earned €32.8 million. The two victories brought in €3.44 million and the draw against Al Hilal €0.86 million. Qualifying for the round of 16 meant another €6.45 million in the bank. The victory in the round of 16 against Juventus brought in another €11.28 million. In the quarterfinals, the victory against Borussia meant an income of €18.06 million. In other words, so far in the tournament, the team has already earned a total of €72.89 million, making it the ‘richest in the championship’.
Once qualified, if they win the semifinals, they will earn another €25.8 million, and finally, if they win the final, another €34.3 million will be added to the bank account.
Prize for winning the title
Real Madrid wants to be crowned Club World Cup champions and become the first club to win this title, which is why Florentino has put a juicy prize on the table to motivate the players. If the team wins, each member of the squad will receive a bonus of €1 million. This is a very high figure, especially for youth players who are still a long way from earning that kind of money. The club is very clear about its objective and will not hesitate to offer the best possible reward.