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Madrid derby on Saturday
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The Madrid derby is one of the biggest inner-city rivalries across Europe with Real Madrid and Atlético Madrid battling for bragging rights in the Spanish capital. It has traditionally been an extremely one-sided rivalry with Real Madrid winning 123 of 240 meetings between the two giants since the first ever fixture in 1927. Atlético have lurked in the shadows of their illustrious rivals with Los Blancos the most decorated club in the world with 15 European Cup/ Champions Leagues to their name.
Under Diego Simeone, Atlético closed the gap and they famously won their first LaLiga title in 19 years when they were crowned kings of Spain in 2014. The rivals became the first clubs from the same city to compete in a Champions League final in 2014 with Real winning a historic 10th title. They also faced off in the 2016 final with Carlo Ancelotti’s men again victorious but both Madrid clubs were undisputedly amongst the best clubs in Europe. In recent years, however, Real Madrid have moved clear of their rivals and ahead of the derby on Saturday, we’ve analysed the disparity between clubs based on Transfermarkt’s famed market values.
How Real Madrid’s squad value soared ahead of Atletico Madrid
Los Blancos’ recent dominance in the fixture is reflected by Atlético winning just four of the last 20 derbies, but it can also be highlighted by their squad values. Real Madrid currently have the most valuable squad in the world at €1.4billion, with Atlético ranking just 13th at €630m. Xabi Alonso’s squad is valued at more than double Simeone, with the gap currently an eye-watering €770m more valuable than their City rivals. As the graphic below illustrates, the valuations of the two Madrid clubs’ squads have been on different trajectories across the last six seasons.
Atlético’s last title arrived in 2021 and in April of that year Simeone’s squad was valued higher than Ancelotti’s men - the only time that’s happened across the aforementioned time period. But from the start of the 2021/22 season, Real's squad value has soared, while Atlético’s has plummeted. There’s numerous factors behind the opposing trajectories with Atlético’s squad ageing, while Real have signed several youngsters that have increased in value. Atlético’s squad value dropped as low as €390m in June 2024 but it increased this summer with Real’s currently at the highest in the club’s history. Real currently have nine players valued in excess of €50m with Kylian Mbappé and Jude Bellingham their most valuable players at €180m, while Atlético have just three which further highlights the imbalance between the two squads.
