The Red Devils made an utterly dismal return to Europe's elite competition and are already heading for the exit door – but how much will it cost them?
Manchester United had missed the sound of that familiar and stirring anthem, but just three months after returning to the Champions League, the Red Devils are already heading for the exit door.
After a series of games that have been highly-entertaining for neutrals but unbearable for fans, Erik ten Hag's side needed a miracle on Tuesday to stay in the competition. Instead, they barely mustered a whimper against Bayern Munich and have finished bottom of Group A, below Copenhagen and Galatasaray as they even failed to fall into the Europa League.
United only have themselves to blame after winning just one of their six matches and conceding a remarkable 15 goals in the process, the joint-worst defensive record in the competition along with Royal Antwerp.
As well as wounding their pride and prestige, the elimination is a huge financial blow for United. GOAL counts the real cost of the Red Devils' embarrassing early exit…
Getty Images Missing out on prize money
United are braced for an initial hit of €9.6m (£8.2m/$9.m) in prize money for failing to make the last 16 and they will have to forgo the other bonuses that come when progressing further in the competition: €10.6m (£9.1m/$11.4m) for reaching the quarter-finals, €12.5m (£10m/$13m) for the semi-finals, €15.5m (£13.3m/$16.6m) for finishing runners-up and €20m (£17m/$21m) for winning the competition.
That's a maximum of €52.7m (£45m/$56m), even if it were highly unlikely that Ten Hag's chaotic side were ever going to win the Champions League. But they did reach the quarter-finals in both 2014 and 2019, so a more realistic figure of €20.2m (£17m/$21m) could have been on offer. To put it another away, enough to buy a Manuel Akanji or a Tyrell Malacia…
United do not even have the Europa League money to soften the blow. They will miss out on €500,000 (£429k/$539k) for reaching the play-off round and a potential total of €18m (£15.4m/$19.4m) for winning the competition.
AdvertisementGetty Images Fewer matches equals less money
United also miss out on big money-spinning matches in the knockout rounds. According to the , United made an average of £3.96m ($4.9m) per Premier League match in 2022 – more than any other side in the English top-flight – and that figure will be £4.2m ($5.2m) this season after the club raised ticket prices by 5 percent.
If United had qualified for the last 16 and been drawn against a colossal club like Real Madrid or Barcelona, the figure would be higher still. So that's a potential £12.6m ($15.8m) at least in matchday revenue that could have been secured if United had gone as far as the semi-finals.
The club could have recouped some of that money if they had dropped into the Europa League, even though demand for tickets and prices would likely have been lower.
GettyLess broadcast revenue
United will also earn less television money for exiting the competition early. UEFA offers a total of €300m (£257m/$323m) in broadcast revenue which is distributed to each federation based on the value of their television market.
The English broadcast deal is the biggest, so Premier League clubs are entitled to more money than their counterparts. United already secured half of this amount, but the other half is paid out in proportion to how many matches each club plays, meaning they will get a far smaller slice of the cake than if they had gone deep into the competition.
Getty ImagesSliding down the coefficient table
An additional €600m (£515m/$646m) is shared among clubs according to their UEFA coefficient, which is calculated over a 10-year period and based on performance in European competitions. The lowest-ranked team earns €1.1m while the top team is awarded €36.4m.
Real Madrid currently lead the coefficient standings, followed by Bayern Munich and Barcelona. United are ranked 11th, with Man City fourth and Liverpool eighth.
Last season, Chelsea were ranked highest of the English clubs (they are now positioned sixth) and pocketed €32m. Tottenham, ranked lowest of the English clubs, took €19m.
United are now bound to slide down the rankings after exiting the Champions League and missing out on the Europa League, although their relatively strong performances in the Europa League and Champions League in previous seasons mean it will not be a considerable loss. But it all adds up.