Special Envoy to ManchesterJoan Laporta, in his first stage as president of Barça, popularized the “virtuous circle”, the thesis according to which the club needed to invest heavily in players: with a good team titles were won, with titles were obtained sponsorships , with this money the team could be renewed and thus continued to earn. An evolution of the phrase that Johan Cruyff said in his day: “Money on the field, not in the bank”. But this formula, which in some way Laporta has wanted to implement again in this new term, contrasts with the one used in the last decade by Manchester United. Far from putting the focus on the lawn, the red devils they have focused the vast majority of their efforts on enhancing the club’s brand. And this has allowed them to resist the elite despite suffering a drought of 10 years without winning a League. The last Premier dates back to 2013.
The key is in the brand, which United knew how to catapult in the 2000s, especially with the explosion of the internet and the globalization of football. “They were the first to be clear about this concept. They created a separate company, consolidated their fans and dedicated themselves to constant actions. Not just one, but many and consistent”, analyzes Guillem Graell, partner of D2F and former CMO of Barça. New avenues of income were opening up and the English team knew how to take advantage of the momentum, coinciding also with a period of bonanza titles and with the media exploitation of figures such as David Beckham or Cristiano Ronaldo. All under the tutelage of Sir Alex Fergusson, the legendary coach who occupied the bench at Old Trafford for almost three decades. The coach retired precisely in 2013. Since then, only one Cup, one League Cup, one English Super Cup and one Europa League. Minor titles compared to the financial potential of one of the three most popular clubs in the world. “When a brand is so established, it is difficult for it to disappear, and United was and is a leader in the Anglo-Saxon world. Maybe in 2019 we detected a slight decline, but very little. It was essential that they separated the marketing part from the sports. What happened on the field of play went on one side and the business, on the other,” adds Graell, who sees many similarities between his commercial model and that of Real Madrid.
United was the first to be clear that it was necessary to strengthen the brand. They consolidated their fans and dedicated themselves to constant actions”
Guillem Graell Member of D2F and former CMO of Barça
The difference with Barça, however, is ownership. “You can’t stay here for 10 years without winning a League. The members kick you out straight away,” points out a member of the current Barcelona board. In fact, this same source recalls that one of the arguments used by Laporta to justify the “leverage” and spending on signings this summer was precisely that the board would only resist if titles were won. At Old Trafford, on the other hand, the team belongs to the Glazer family, who bought the property in 2005. The Americans are currently negotiating the sale of 100% of the shares to a Qatari investment group, linked to the which also owns Paris Saint-Germain. English media assume the deal will close in the coming months.
A double reality: sports and business
There is therefore a double reality, the sporting one and the business one. And it is clear that, financially, the club has remained strong. “For Barça, being without the Champions League for a year is an economic disaster. United, despite being out of the Champions League for the last few seasons, has been able to withstand the blow without any difficulty,” clarifies Graell. Of course, this drought of titles has caused great discontent among the fans of Old Trafford, who are very critical of the Glazer family. Although, since they are the owners and have all the shares, however much there are complaints from the public they cannot be kicked out. Criticism that has been accentuated in Manchester since City, the club coached by Pep Guardiola and owned by the Arab Emirates, has run its hand over their face and become the hegemonic Premier League team in recent seasons.
“Whether in Manchester, in Barcelona, in Madrid, in Paris or in any city, the day-to-day life of the club is lived very intensely because the fans live with great passion what happens there. But on an international scale the consumption is different. If the Old Trafford fans are unhappy, it’s likely that in China they won’t find out. It’s the same thing that happened here with the criticism of Bartomeu. Outside, people were stuck with Messi’s goals,” points out an authorized voice from the Camp Nou offices, which emphasizes Barça’s communication policy through its official channels. In this same sense, The Athletic published this September a very extensive analysis of United’s economic and sporting situation. Broadly speaking, and while detailing the poor football planning of the red devils, there was unanimity in emphasizing that the Glazers, who have an American concept of the business of sports, were not so focused on titles as on achieving green numbers every year. At this point, they cited the return of Cristiano Ronaldo as an example, not because it was useful in terms of football but because it gave an impetus to the international brand. In Barcelona, now that Leo Messi is being talked about again, the economic area sees in his possible return “an opportunity fallen from the sky”, although in the sports area, focused on creating a team of the future, they look at it with more skepticism.
Barça looked up to United’s commercial model
Barça looked up to United’s commercial model for years, trying to copy it. But in a member-owned club this becomes more difficult to execute. “When there is a change in the board there are also changes in the structure. Strengthening the brand means having committed people who are willing to take a suitcase and spend the day on the plane. If you dismantle the team after each choice, this goes against the brand continuing to grow”, analyzes Graell, who left the club a few months after the arrival of Joan Laporta. He wasn’t the only one. The new board changed all the top executives. “Leaving aside whether those who enter are valid or not, these people are not familiar with the club and need an adaptation process. This takes time, and it is time that you lose in relation to direct competitors, such as Madrid” , adds a critical voice from the noble offices of the Camp Nou.
In the Blaugrana offices, they would like to have the economic solidity that they have red devils despite the sporting difficulties. But in Manchester, after years of drought, supporters are wary of the sale of shares in Qatar and would prefer to have the tools at Camp Nou to elect their president. It is Barça and Manchester United, two of the three most popular clubs in the world, who face each other at Old Trafford this Thursday based on very different models.