{"id":16319,"date":"2015-05-29T09:34:39","date_gmt":"2015-05-29T01:34:39","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.imoney.my\/articles\/?p=16319"},"modified":"2015-06-10T15:01:13","modified_gmt":"2015-06-10T07:01:13","slug":"juventus-vs-barcelona-which-team-is-more-expensive","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.imoney.my\/articles\/juventus-vs-barcelona-which-team-is-more-expensive","title":{"rendered":"Juventus vs Barcelona: Which Team Is More Expensive?"},"content":{"rendered":"
June 6, 2015 \u2013 that\u2019s the date for the traditional climax to the European football season. Now that most of the domestic leagues have concluded, all that remains to be settled is who will win European club football\u2019s biggest prize on June 6. Juventus meet Barcelona at the Olympiastadion in Berlin for the UEFA Champions League final, and fans around the world are already counting down the hours.<\/p>\n
Both teams come into the match in tremendous form having just won their domestic leagues and in Juventus\u2019 case, being on the verge of a treble of trophies (domestic league, domestic cup and European cup).\u00a0 Barcelona are also close to claiming the treble themselves: the Blaugrana will play Athletic Bilbao in the final of the Spanish Cup, a match played at their home ground, the Nou Camp.<\/p>\n
Although evenly matched in terms of form and in terms of history and trophies, we decided to take a look at how closely matched these two sides are where it matters: on the pitch.<\/p>\n
Squad size: 27<\/b><\/p>\n
Two down, one to go. After winning the Italian Champion and the Coppa Italia, Juventus\u2019 thirst for the Champions League victory is palpable. The last time Juventus lifted the trophy was in 1996.<\/p>\n
Having won the Italian league for the last four seasons, European success this year would establish this Juventus team as a genuine Continental power at a time when Italian football is in decline. It would also mark an incredible turnaround in fortunes since the Turin club was relegated to Serie B following the \u201cCalciopoli\u201d scandal in 2006.<\/p>\n
Although their domestic dominance has gone unchallenged, Juventus (and Italian sides in general) have struggled to make a mark in Europe in recent seasons. As a result, their squad\u2019s transfer value is below even what fellow semi-finalists Real Madrid are worth (a whopping RM3.5 billion).\u00a0 According to Transfermarkt.com, Juventus\u2019s total market value comes up to RM1.5 billion.\u00a0 A reflection perhaps, on the fact that many of Juve\u2019s players are still establishing themselves at continental level. \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Paul Pogba, the powerful midfielder, leads the squad in terms of market value, at close to RM250 million. The top five most expensive players in the team are as follow:<\/p>\n
The squad is valued the most at midfield at about RM836 million with the average age of 27.7 years old, while the defence positions are valued at RM390 million, strikers at RM322 million, and lastly, goalkeepers are valued at RM12.8 million.<\/p>\n The underdog of the Champions League, Juventus\u2019s captain, Gianluigi Buffon told Goal.com<\/a><\/em> that the final opponents, Barcelona look \u201calmost unbeatable\u201d, but \u200bformer Juventus and World Cup winning Italian coach Marcello Lippi warned Barcelona, on 90min<\/a><\/em>, that they shouldn’t underestimate their opponent in the final. So while Massimiliano Allegri and his players ready themselves for Barcelona, the rest of us should take a step back and wait to see how the team that is worth over RM1.5 billion perform for their final (possible) victory.<\/p>\n Squad size: 26<\/b><\/p>\n With a smaller squad size, Barcelona almost doubles Juve\u2019s value with RM2.9 billion total market value. But does being more expensive give them an edge over Juventus in the final match on June 6?<\/p>\n Bar\u00e7a have won six league titles and three Champions League titles in the last decade, more than Juventus, and other European rivals such as Real Madrid, Inter, Porto, Manchester United, Bayern Munich, Chelsea, PSG and Lyon.<\/p>\n Led by Lionel Messi, who alone is estimated to be worth RM593 million, it is no surprise the squad comes out more expensive than Juventus, with the likes of Neymar, Luis Suarez and Andres Iniesta further swelling the transfer value of the squad. As the team enters a crucial phase of the season, Messi has been rallying his team and demanding even more from an already trophy-laden Barcelona.<\/p>\n Here are the top five most expensive footballers at FC Barcelona:<\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n
<\/span>FC Barcelona \u2013 RM2.9 Billion<\/b><\/span><\/h2>\n