How much money do Barcelona Femení receive for winning the UEFA Women’s Champions League?
Barcelona Femení reasserted their European dominance as they battled hard to a win over Lyon the the UWCL final.
It had to be Aitana and Alexia who gave Barcelona their first win over Lyon and their third ever Champions League. The inevitable boogeyman, the Terminator 1000 that never dies, the monster under the bed, the Spanish side had never beaten their French rivals and it was the two club icons - the current Ballon d’Or holder and the two-time winner - whose goals gave them a 2-0 win in the northern Spanish city of Bilbao.
Lyon proved tricky opponents for the blaugrana, who huffed and puffed against their tight defence while being wary of the counterattacking power up front for the French XI. The first half came and went without any goals; Barcelona’s possession game had worked to carve out chances but nothing was clicking, with Salma isolated and Graham-Hansen up against an entire legion of defenders on the right wing. And them came Aitana.
The Spaniard scored around the hour mark and from then on things sailed smoothly: possession to score became possession to control and, at times, toy with Lyon who ran out of battery power by the end, right when Barcelona decided to bring on the two-time best player in the world.
Alexia’s goal came and San Mamés celebrated the goal and the player: the story that Alexia has written in recent years only serves to highlight how much of a warrior she is on the inside as well as on the outside. An ACL injury has cut her playing time down to bare bones and the screams from fans as she smashed the ball past Endler in added time were a mixture of relief, joy and, perhaps most of all, love for a player who has always shown her love to those in the stands.
How much is the UEFA Women’s Champions League prize money?
UEFA say that “each club taking part in the group stage will receive a minimum reward of €400,000 – approximately five times more than before in the Round of 16″ while the winner “stands to earn up to €1.4 million”.
How much do teams receive for winning the men’s Champions League?
Reports suggest that for the men’s competition, the winner receives €20m ($21.5m) while the runner-up is in line to pocket €15.5m ($16.12m). In comparison to the women’s game, it is a huge sum of money, and it is clear that there is certainly room for improvement when it comes to a fair share for both the men’s and women’s game.
Before lifting the silver trophy, Alexia turned towards all four sides of the stadium and waved her hand upwards, asking for more noise. Even when lifting the trophy that proclaims her side champions of Europe, and one of the best teams in the world, she had the time and the presence of mind to think of the fans who have supported her unconditionally through the tough times.
Famous photos regularly fly around social media - sometimes from Alexia herself - of the Barça captain at Camp Nou as a child. The blurry photo shows a young Alexia Putellas with what looks like a bandana on her head, smiling as she awaits the men’s team. Now, she is on the other side of the barrier, inspiring young girls in the stands to be just like her.