The 1 billion prize in the Club World Cup was smashed! Messi s magic flute ended, can gold-yuan football ignite pure love?

In less than two weeks, the football circle's attention will be focused on the United States - the first new version of the Club World Cup will start on June 15. This situation is not an exaggeration to say that it is the "Super Bowl" in the football world. 32 teams came from five continents, and names such as Messi, Mbappe and Haaland appeared in large numbers. Just looking at the list makes people feel excited. But the most exciting thing is the money - the total prize is $1 billion, and the champion can get 125 million. How much does it take to convert it into RMB? If we are not good at math, it is definitely because of the "money ability".

I remembered talking to the old guys in the fan group two days ago. Someone joked: "This is not a football game, it is obviously a money printing machine." It makes sense to think about it carefully. If you win a game, you can earn 2 million, and you will get 1 million in a draw. Who doesn't fight to run? I just feel sorry for the players. I can't stand the 63 games a month. However, FIFA obviously made a plan - if you give enough money, you can tolerate it even if you are tired. After all, who will not be able to compete with the US dollar? The "Shura Field" of quota allocation: the magical reality of the wealthy club losing the election and the dark horse counterattack

If you want to say that the most interesting thing about this Club World Cup is still the qualifications to participate. In the past, the Club World Cup was a champion in various continents. Now, it is better to expand to 32 teams. Europe has 12 places at once, 6 in South America, 4 in Asia, Africa, North America, and 1 in Oceania. This allocation ratio can be seen by anyone with a discerning eye that Europe is still a "child". But the rules also say that each Football Association can only send up two teams at most, unless you win several continental championships in a row.

As a result, there were many "unpopularities": Champions League regulars like Liverpool and Barcelona were not shortlisted, but "small characters" like Salzburg Red Bull can go to the United States. Why? Because the rules are stuck, no matter how strong the Premier League La Liga is, a football association can only have two places. The Brazilian League is smart. He won the South American Liberators Cup for four consecutive years and directly entered the game with four teams, becoming the biggest winner. The fans have been making fun of these two days: "It turns out that football is not about strength, but about math problems that calculate points and quotas."

But from another perspective, such rules give small and medium-sized league teams a chance. For example, in Oakland City in Oceania, how can you usually have the opportunity to compete with Real Madrid and Bayern? This time I can stand on the stage of the Club World Cup. Even if I lose all the group stages, I can still play for the rest of my life when I go back. As for football, in addition to the giants competing for dominance, it is also quite interesting to watch the story of "David Challenge Goliath" occasionally.

The "dimensionality reduction strike" of the bonus pool: both the World Cup and the Champions League have to stand aside, and they have to talk about the bonus structure of the Club World Cup. 1 billion US dollars are divided into two parts: 525 million is a fixed prize, and 475 million is paid according to the results. European teams can get 12 million to 38 million by participating in the competition, and South American teams also have 15 million as the base, which is equivalent to the budget of many small and medium-sized clubs for a year. What's even more ruthless is the result award. If you win a group match of 2 million, every further prize in the knockout round will double. If you win the finals all the way, European teams can get a maximum of 125 million - this number will leave the total prize of 440 million in the 2022 Qatar World Cup, and even the wealthy Champions League has to think about it: "Is this kid here to grab a job?"

But the question is also that, only 100 million in the Champions League was played in 9 months, and the Club World Cup made so much in a month. Can players stand it? Think about it, 32 teams squeezed into 63 games in 30 days, with an average of two games a day, which was as dense as a game. In the past few years, some players complained that the schedule was too tight. Now that the Club World Cup is doing this, the risk of injury is simply overwhelming. But FIFA obviously doesn't care about this. Anyway, the money is placed here, and the clubs and players have to rush up even if they grit their teeth - after all, in the era of gold and dollar football, how much money is worth in the era of gold and dollar football?

Superstar's curtain call and the new king ascends the throne: Messi and the last dance of the Magic Flute

What fans are most looking forward to is to watch the superstars' performances. Real Madrid brought the "Galaxy Battleship" composed of Mbappe and Vinicius this time. The new coach Alonso said he wanted to win the championship as soon as he took office. In addition, Arnold dug from Liverpool, the lineup is simply "unreasonable". But the most touching thing is Modric, a 38-year-old veteran, is about to say goodbye to Real Madrid after the Club World Cup. Thinking about his figure in the midfield, maybe he really won the game less.

There is also Messi. At the age of 37, he followed Miami International. As the host team, he also drew a "super lottery" in the group. There are no European giants in the group and he has a great chance of qualifying. But to be honest, Miami's strength is there, and it's hard to say whether it can go far. But for fans, seeing Messi run on the world stage again is worth the ticket price - after all, who knows if this is his last time to participate in a competition of this level?

The younger generation is not idle either. Haaland is trying to prove himself at Manchester City. Rodri's return from injury has made the Blue Moon even more powerful. The battle between Manchester City and Juventus in Group G may become the biggest highlight of the group stage - no one wants to meet Real Madrid in the first round, and this intriguing group ranking is more exciting than the game.

The truth behind the controversy: Should football be looking at money or centrifugal?

After saying so much, I always feel a little conflicted. The expansion of the Club World Cup and spending money have indeed made the game more lively. Superstars gathered and dark horses appeared frequently, and the topics were full of topics. But I always feel something is wrong - the Club World Cup in the past was a "peak showdown" for champions from various continents, but now it has become a "quota game" and a "money competition". Players are like actors who are rushing to the stage, clubs are like businessmen who are pursuing profits, and the purest passion and dreams of football seem to be a little blurred by the golden light of 1 billion US dollars.

Some people say that this is the progress of football, and marketization and commercialization can make the sport live; others say that this is depravity, and the supremacy of gold and yuan will only make football lose its soul. Look at the Brazilian League teams who have won 4 places by relying on "rule loopholes", and then look at Liverpool and Barcelona being eliminated due to quota restrictions. Suddenly, they remembered a sentence: "When football starts to use mathematical formulas to calculate the winner and lose."

But then I thought about it, as fans, wouldn't we still be in front of the screen on time, shouting for the team we like, and cheering for the wonderful goals? No matter how the game changes, my love for football has never changed. Perhaps, this is the charm of the sport - even if it is controversial, it can still ignite the fire in our hearts.