Apollo's €1.425 Billion Acquisition of Atlético Madrid Ranks Third-Largest in European Football
Apollo's acquisition of a majority stake in Atlético Madrid for €1.425 billion ranks as the third biggest European football deal, amid notable player salary disparities in top clubs.
- • Apollo acquires 57% of Atlético Madrid for €1.425 billion, valuing the club at €2.5 billion.
- • The transaction is the third largest in European football history, after Chelsea and Manchester United deals.
- • American investors continue to play a major role in European football club ownership.
- • Dominik Szoboszlai earns significantly less than peers at top clubs, prompting Liverpool to seek a contract extension with a pay rise.
- • The rising values of football clubs coincide with growing salary gaps among elite players.
Key details
The American investment firm Apollo has completed a landmark deal acquiring a 57% stake in Atlético de Madrid for €1.425 billion, valuing the club at €2.5 billion. This transaction has positioned Atlético Madrid's sale as the third largest in European football history, equaling the £1.25 billion (approximately €1.425 billion) acquisition of 27.7% of Manchester United by Jim Ratcliffe. The only bigger deal remains the 2022 purchase of Chelsea FC by a US-led consortium for £2.5 billion, or around €2.85 billion today, as reported by El País (ID:138479). This significant investment underlines the growing trend of American investors reshaping the European football landscape, linking Atlético Madrid's deal with previous high-profile transactions involving Arsenal, PSG, and Manchester City.
In parallel, there is growing attention on player salaries across top European clubs. Dominik Szoboszlai, Liverpool's 25-year-old midfielder, currently earns €130,000 weekly, notably less than his peers such as Jude Bellingham (€400,000 weekly at Real Madrid), Bernardo Silva and Bruno Fernandes (€300,000), and Jamal Musiala (€360,000). Liverpool is reportedly eager to extend Szoboszlai's contract through 2030 with a substantial salary increase given his on-field contributions, as per AS (ID:138475).
These developments highlight both the macro-level financial movements involving clubs' ownership and micro-level disparities in player wages, reflecting the complex economic dynamics shaping Spanish and European football today.
This article was synthesized and translated from native language sources to provide English-speaking readers with local perspectives.