While claiming the Champions League title is the "ultimate goal," there is "much more at stake in this most prestigious of tournaments," according to Andrew Leigh of FORBES. The Champions League "pays handsomely," and prize money is jumping 25% for the '15-16 campaign. Thanks to a "generous heaping" of shared TV money, a winner of this year's tournament could walk away with more than €100M ($113M). For ManU, Man City, Paris St. Germain and Bayern Munich, a "strong Champions League showing takes on added importance in light of their spending, expectations and general trajectory." ManU spent nearly £100M ($155M) on new players this summer to "beef up" Manager Louis Van Gaal’s squad. Losing its opening match to PSV Eindhoven is a "troubling start, but the talented roster still has to be expected to win their group." This marks Man City's fifth straight CL appearance, "but they've not advanced beyond the round of 16 in any of those appearances." While Manager Manuel Pellegrini just signed a contract extension, "persistent rumors have percolated" that Man City could aim to replace him with Bayern Munich's Pep Guardiola. Since Qatar World Investments took over PSG in '11, it has "spent tons of money bringing in high-profile players in a push to join Europe's elite." While "poised for another appearance in the knockout rounds," this "seems like a tipping point for this version of PSG." Bayern Munich has reached the Champions League final in three of the last six years, "but has just one trophy to show for it." The Bavarian club has "set it sights on challenging" the likes of Barcelona, Real Madrid and ManU for "global dominance" (FORBES, 9/16).
