Real Madrid are set to earn a windfall from FIFA’s Club Benefit Programme, following the 2022 World Cup, in which a number of Los Blancos stars participated.
Real were one of the highest earners in the world out of 440 clubs thanks to the endeavours of their international stars, but none of their players were victorious, as Argentina lifted the trophy.
The club earned over $3.8m (£2.9m) from the fund, a total only bettered by Manchester City, Bayern Munich and Barcelona.
Los Blancos had 12 representatives at the tournament, who all enjoyed varying degrees of success: Thibaut Courtois, Marco Asensio, Dani Carvajal, Vinicius Junior, Rodrygo, Eder Militao, Luka Modric, Toni Kroos, Eduardo Camavinga, Aurelien Tchouameni, Fede Valverde and Eden Hazard, whilst Karim Benzema also pulled out with injury on the eve of the tournament.
How did Real Madrid’s players fare at the World Cup?
Benzema’s injury did not stop a significant windfall coming from his initial selection in the squad, and the other French finalists brought in extra earnings through the funds, with Tchouameni particularly standing out with his performances in Qatar.
The trio of Brazil’s stars performed well at times during the tournament, but were all stunned as they were knocked out on penalties in the quarter finals by Luka Modric’s Croatia, with Rodrygo missing a crucial penalty in the shootout.
Valverde, Kroos, Courtois and Hazard were both knocked out in disappointing group stage exits, and neither player made their mark on the tournament.
Spain’s contingent saw Marco Asensio and Carvajal appear under Luis Enrique, but La Roja were shocked at the hands of Morocco in the last-16 in what was a disappointing campaign for the national team.
Former star Raphael Varane contributed to the windfall, having also appeared in the final for France, and Real will be happy that they have so many internationally recognised stars in their squad.