A report says that the hugely anticipated derby match between Manchester United and Manchester City today will be the most expensive match in the history of Sports
Manchester United-Manchester City Matchup to Become Most Expensive Game Ever Played - Premier League - NESN.com
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Manchester City will match up against Manchester United on Saturday, and according to a report by the Wall Street Journal, it will become the most expensive sporting event in history.
This meeting will break said record because of the two club's recent lavish spending sprees, racking up $850 million in players' salaries and transfer fees, just about as much as NASA spent on the Hubble telescope, Wall Street Journal reports.
Man City's money is tied up in talent such as Carlos Tevez, James Milner, Yaya Toure and recent hire Edin Dzeko, who combined represent roughly $200 million. Manchester United's top salaried players are Dimitar Berbatov, Wayne Rooney, Rio Ferdinand and Michael Carrick, who carry about the same financial burden as their Man City counterparts.
This game represents a culmination of overspending that every top-shelf club has taken part in, as after this season, the "Financial Fair Play" regulations kick in, which allow clubs to only spend as much money as they bring in, in an attempt to even the pitch for all teams.
The report also draws parallels to American sports, noting the Dallas Cowboys and the Washington Redskins meetings, which amounted to about $350 million.
The clashes between the Red Sox and Yankees produces roughly $380 million total salaries, an interesting number when thinking about how outlandish the Red Sox and Yankees spending has become over the past decade.
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Here's the Wall Street Journal article -
Manchester United-Manchester City: The Most Expensive Game in History - WSJ.com
The $600 Million Cover Charge
As Manchester's top teams prepare to face each other, their owners have ponied up well over half a billion dollars combined in transfer fees alone – that's before paying a dime in salaries – to fill their rosters. A look at some of the more notable estimated fees paid on each side:
MANCHESTER UNITED
Dimitar Berbatov – $49.6 million
Rio Ferdinand – $48.4 million
Wayne Rooney – $41.3 million
Michael Carrick – $30.1 million
Luis Anderson – $29 million
Luis Nani – $27.4 million
Nemanja Vidic – $11.6 million
Javier Hernandez - $10 million
Patrice Evra – $9.3 million
Rafael – $8.4 million (with twin brother Fabio)
Ji-Sung Park - $6.4 million
Edwin Van der Sar – $3.2 million
TOTAL – $274.7 million
MANCHESTER CITY
Edin Dzeko – $43.5 million
James Milner – $41.9 million
Carlos Tevez – $41.1 million
Yaya Toure – $41.1 million
David Silva – $38.7 million
Mario Balotelli – $36 million
Aleksandar Kolarov – $30.6 million
Kolo Toure – $25.8 million
Gareth Barry – $19.3 million
Jerome Boateng – $16.9 million
Pablo Zabaleta – $10.4 million
Vincent Kompany – $9.7 million
Joe Hart – $2.4 million (maximum fee, dependent on appearances)
TOTAL – $357.4 million
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The most interesting part?
- The report says that The Derby's reign at the top of the money pile won't last long. Next month's match between Manchester City and Chelsea will shoot past it to set a new combined record of about $900 million. By the time Manchester United and Chelsea (combined player investment: over $800 million) square off in two upcoming matches this season, the Derby will have fallen to fourth-place on the all-time list.
Nobody mentions the slight problem that Rio Ferdinand will be out injuredand therefore also his $48.4 million (Still ultra-expensive nonetheless )
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