Who is the most important entity at a football club?
The answer? Well it depends on the team. In Barcelona’s case it’s their star player and captain Lionel Messi, no matter how much the Argentine protests that he doesn’t actually run the club.
Obviously a player of such gravitas commands huge sway off the pitch and if the recent boardroom unravelling which saw Messi clash with Eric Abidal told us anything – there were rumours the sporting director could even be dismissed because of the fallout – it’s that the No10 is numero uno.
However, the dynamics are different when peering across Europe’s elite with presidents, sporting directors, players and of course managers emerging as the dominant force.
From Barca to Bayern, here’s a look at the key figures running the show at Europe’s top teams. Oh and before anyone pipes up, we know the supporters are actually the most important…
Barcelona – Lionel Messi (Captain)
Messi the assist machine, Messi the goal machine, Messi the marketing machine, Messi the man keeping the Barca machine from collapsing in on itself.
The modern Barcelona owes so much to his exploits on the pitch with its identity crafted by his left-foot sorcery. But the dilapidated state of the squad means his position within the club is even stronger.
The Argentine continues to prop up the team as the lead goal architect while the board is chastised for Barca’s poor health since Neymar departed.
His eye-popping €60.39 million basic wage every year places him right at the top of the pyramid and although he might not call the shots directly, his voice carries the most weight at Barca. Messi plays we all watch, Messi talks they all listen.
Real Madrid – Florentino Perez (President)
For Barca’s eternal rivals Real Madrid the balance of power resides wholly in the boardroom and with one man only.
‘Presi’ as he is known by the players, El Presidente to everyone else.
As the man atop the world’s richest football club, Florentino Perez is not just the most powerful individual at Real Madrid, but arguably the entire sport.
Having reigned as president since 2009, following a previous stint between 2000-2006, Perez is the man at Real.
He is said to rule over the Madrid media with an iron grip, has overseen some of the most lavish and expensive transfers in the game’s history and has hired, plus fired, the biggest coaching names around.
Judged by his trophy cabinet and signings, Perez has delivered on both as president giving him such authority at the club.
Bayern Munich – Hasan Salihamidzic (Sporting Director)
Bayern’s CEO Karl-Heinz Rummenigge clearly wields significant power, but from a purely footballing standpoint, Salihamidzic is the most important man at the club these days.
Sitting between Rummenigge and Hansi Flick, Salihamidzic is responsible for squad planning, transfers and contract negotiations – although he works in collaboration with a committee – plus the scouting department and youth academy.
Flick picks and leads the team and training, Salihamidzic essentially does everything else. He’s restructured the medical and scouting departments, sacked Carlo Ancelotti and Niko Kovac and was behind deals to bring in the likes of Alphonso Davies, Benjamin Pavard, and Lucas Hernandez.
‘Brazzo’ has been described by Rummenigge as the “best sporting director I’ve experienced here since Uli Hoeness” and that praise has seen him consolidate his power after it was announced late last year he’ll be promoted to Bayern’s executives.
He’ll take on a new role as executive director of sport in July this year.
Dortmund – Michael Zorc (Sporting Director)
The world’s best sporting director? Michael Zorc’s list of smart acquisitions for Dortmund is longer than Santa’s and he continues to deliver gifts for the club with Erling Haaland his latest shrewd buy.
From Robert Lewandowski through to Haaland, Zorc has overseen crucial transfers which has allowed Dortmund to compete with the best in the world, despite smaller revenues like that of Bayern.
He’s been with the club since 1978 when he first joined in his youth and his entire playing career was spent with the black and yellow.
That longevity places him right at the top – Thomas Tuchel’s exit in 2017 is evidence of that – as does his long standing ability to identify young talent, spend low and sell high.
Jadon Sancho’s likely €100m+ sale this summer will be another crowning achievement on Zorc’s resume.
Juventus – Cristiano Ronaldo (Star Player)
Ronaldo and Messi are in a perpetual twirl of comparison, but they are their club’s most important figure for contrasting reasons.
For Ronaldo, he is the physical manifestation of Juve’s grand vision for the future.
A major marketing push has seen the club completely re-branded, from the kits to the badge, and Ronaldo is paramount to increasing their wider appeal.
The social media numbers speak for themselves as the new generation of footballers tend to follow individuals rather than teams, swinging from Real Madrid to Juve when the Portuguese made the switch to Turin in 2018.
At 35, Ronaldo doesn’t hold the same direct sway as Messi, but the team is very much built around him and he was bought with the sole intention of ending Juve’s long wait for another Champions League title. He holds the key to the Bianconeri’s present and future ambitions.
Inter – Antonio Conte (Manager)
What Conte wants, Conte gets. Inter spent vast sums last summer after they brought in Conte with the task of claiming a first Scudetto in a decade.
More importantly, the Nerazzurri are locked on 18 Serie A titles with rivals AC Milan and so the club are desperate to add to their tally, ceding significant power to the demanding Conte.
More than €150m was invested in the squad last summer at Conte’s behest with key targets Romelu Lukaku, Alexis Sanchez and Diego Godin signed at his request.
After lambasting the board in the winter for their apparent ‘poor planning’, the club then splurged even more cash to bring in the likes of Christian Eriksen, Ashley Young and Victor Moses.
It’s clear who is running the show at Inter, a pay off deemed necessary for domestic success with Inter still in touching distance of leaders Lazio.
Liverpool – Jurgen Klopp (Manager)
In the same way Manchester United fans exalt Sir Alex Ferguson, Liverpool fans will one day speak of Jurgen Klopp in the same tone.
Indeed, the German has been at the forefront of the club’s rebuild, and not just terms in terms of squad development either. As The Athletic’s James Pearce described, Klopp was central in the discussions with the architects behind the club’s new £50m state-of-the-art training facility.
And having persuaded FSG (Liverpool’s owners) to pursue the project in the first place, even sacrificing transfer spend to do so, Klopp’s influence clearly stretches beyond the pitch. FSG chief Mike Gordon has even said Klopp is “up there with some of the best CEOs in the world” which shows how well respected his acumen away from pure tactics and man-management skills is.
The team’s on-pitch success has translated into exponential financial windfalls with the club surpassing half a billion in revenue last year. The present and future health of Liverpool owes much to his exemplary work.
Manchester United – Ed Woodward (Executive Vice-Chairman)
Most of the individuals examined here are well revered by their club’s supporters, that’s not the case for Ed Woodward, though.
In fact, it’s his significance and responsibility which most grates on United fans the most, with a large faction desperate to see him relinquish some of his duties.
While United continue to prosper from a commercial standpoint, and much of that down to Woodward’s skill in that department, from a football perspective, it’s a complete contrast.
Poor planning, bad managerial choices and an inherent lack of identity has led to the rapid decline of the club since Sir Alex Ferguson retired.
The inability (or undesired choice) to hire a sporting director has seen Woodward draw even more derision from supporters, the nadir of their rage arriving when a small minority chucked flares at his family home.
As the key decision maker at United, he is the most important person at the club, but certainly not the most liked.
Manchester City – Pep Guardiola (Manager)
The modern Manchester City was literally built for Guardiola – that’s how important he is to the club. Indeed, when Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed, the UAE Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Presidential Affairs, took over in 2009 the aim was to lure the game’s greatest mind.
With the arrivals of Txiki Begiristain as director of football, Barcelona’s former sporting director who over three decades became Guardiola’s close confidant, and Ferran Soriano as CEO – another former Barcelona colleague – in 2012, the foundations were set.
Empowered by a club moulded for him, Guardiola has brought vast success to City – eight trophies in four years – with a playing style which has changed the complexion of English football entirely.
His defiant proclamation that he’ll stay regardless of City’s result in the fight to stave off a two-year Champions League ban from UEFA, helped stabilise the club after the initial hysteria such is his influence.
PSG – Leonardo (Sporting Director)
Such was the reverence PSG supporters held for Leonardo, that when he rejoined the club last summer, some hailed it as bigger than any player acquisition.
That is some statement considering the superstars who have been brought to the club. The original architect of PSG’s rise following the QSI takeover, there is a deep respect from within PSG and the wider footballing world for the Brazilian.
And it’s no wonder considering he facilitated moves for the likes of Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Thiago Silva, Marco Verratti, Marquinhos and Edinson Cavani, the list literally could go on.
The disastrous transfer dealings since his departure in 2013 only worked to further enhance Leonardo’s reputation and his return to the club has brought about a more holistic approach to player recruitment.
It’s not just squad development Leonardo is key, he’s been described by The Guardian as “the bad cop” for Thomas Tuchel when it comes to discipline and is a regular voice in the media to alleviate pressure on the team.
The fans love Leonardo because he understands them as a former player and so the respect he garners from all sides of the club is why he is the most important figure.
