The European Cup has long been seen as the continent's most important title. It is considered a greater achievement than even the Club World Cup, which pits the best sides from the six continental confederations against each other in a tournament in December, which will again be staged in Abu Dhabi this year. Every side in Europe wants to attain the lucrative swag that accompanies the Champions League trophy. In a report published last year by The Independent newspaper, it was estimated that, financially, the theoretical maximum a club could earn through the Champions League's group stages and knock-out rounds was around ?31.2 million (Dh150m) - some ?25m more than the Europa League, Uefa's second competition.
However, through the inclusion of television revenues, gate receipts and the rise in players' values, successfully negotiating the final could result in a ?110m windfall for the champions. Inter Milan defeated Bayern Munich at the Bernabeu in May to secure the trophy and book their flight to the Emirates for this winter's intercontinental showpiece. The triumph marked a turning of the tide: it was the first time in seven years that an English club had failed to reach the semi-finals. In England last year the final Champions League place was up for grabs resulting in Tottenham Hotspur and Manchester City playing in the season's penultimate week in what many media outlets labelled a potential "£60m play-off" for fourth place.
Spurs won and, after agreeing inflated shirt sponsorship deals , will this season compete in Europe's elite competition for the first time. For qualifying alone - albeit only for the competition's earliest stages - the London club netted a reported £3m (Dh17.4m). This all goes towards belittling the Europa League, which offers a total of £6m for the winners. Formerly the Uefa Cup, the ailing competition underwent a revamp last summer in an attempt to rejuvenate it.
The inaugural competition was won by Atletico Madrid, however, with Uefa failing to address the issue of fixture congestion in the new format - a five-team group stage followed by four two-legged knock-out rounds and a final - the tournament continued to attract criticism. Teams like Juventus often fielded weakened sides before eventually falling to finalists Fulham in the last 16. Whether the competition can rediscover its lustre depends on whether the clubs show it the respect a continental competition deserves - or whether they disregard it as they fight to secure a place in the more lucrative Champions League.
Bundesliga - starts August 20 English Premier League - starts August 26 Primera Liga - starts August 28 Serie A - starts August 29 Europa League final - May 18, Aviva Stadium, Republic of Ireland Champions League final - May 28, Wembley Stadium, England
