Paris Saint-Germain defeated Arsenal in the Champions League final, but the north London club won’t be leaving Hungary empty-handed after making the big money trip to Budapest.
Arsenal led for most of the 90 minutes before losing to PSG.
Despite losing to Paris Saint-Germain in the final, Arsenal amassed the biggest prize money in Champions League history. The Gunners won the Premier League title earlier this month before losing to current holders PSG at the Puskas Arena in Budapest.
Mikel Arteta’s side have already accumulated around £125.18 million in prize money ahead of Saturday’s high-profile final in Hungary. After losing to the French champions, they earned a further £16 million, but missed out on a further £9.06 million.
Lifting the trophy was worth £5.61 million. There will be a further £3.45m bonus for PSG’s participation in the UEFA Super Cup in Salzburg in August, when they will face Aston Villa.
It was a remarkable run in the Champions League for Arsenal. Arsenal also saved £85.3m from their initial TV money and ranking pool (worth £49.6m) early in the campaign. On the pitch, they have generated enormous wealth through their results.
The Gunners won all eight games in the league phase and finished top of the table with £15.8m. In doing so, they also secure a direct place into the last 16, bypassing the play-off round altogether, worth an extra £11.3m.
He also earned £8.6 million for finishing at the top of the rankings. UEFA will distribute funds based on each club’s final league phase standings. The higher you finish, the bigger the reward.
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If they beat Bayer Leverkusen in the last 16 and reach the quarter-finals, their value would have reached £10.8m. The Gunners drew 1-1 against Germany before winning the second leg 2-0 at the Emirates Stadium.
Arsenal faced Sporting CP in the quarter-finals, defeating the Portuguese side 1-0 on aggregate with a goal from Kai Havertz late in the first leg in Lisbon. He would also have been worth £10.8 million if Arsenal reached the semi-finals where they would face Atletico Madrid.
It was a tough test for Diego Simeone’s side. The Premier League champions drew 1-1 in the first leg in Spain after Victor Goqueres converted a penalty amid a VAR controversy.
Kai Havertz scores a stunning opening goal for Arsenal against Paris Saint-Germain within six minutes
They then won the second leg, played at home in north London, 1-0 with Bukayo Saka’s winning goal. Having secured qualification to the Budapest final, Arsenal’s first Champions League highlight since 2006, the Gunners’ war chest has increased to a staggering £15.97m.
The extra £16m brings Arsenal’s total to £141.18m, surpassing PSG’s previous record of £124.62m set last year. UEFA has set aside a record-breaking £2.13bn prize pot for this season’s Champions League campaign.
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