Lille, Brest, both overachieve in UEFA Champions League

The league stage of the 2024/25 UEFA Champions League has concluded, determining the eight teams advancing directly to the Round of 16, while 16 other clubs will compete in an additional knockout round for the remaining spots. The bottom 12 teams have been eliminated from the competition. Sportingpediaanalyzed which teams overperformed relative to their squad value and which failed to justify their financial strength. The calculation was done by dividing each club’s total squad market value by the number of points accumulated.

Dinamo Zagreb (€7.93M per point) emerged as the most efficient team in the competition, outperforming all other clubs despite failing to reach the knockout rounds. The Croatian side accumulated 11 points with a squad valued at just €87.19 million, making each point significantly cheaper than any other team. Brest (€9.24M per point) and Celtic (€10.30M per point) followed closely behind, securing 13 and 12 points, respectively, while operating with some of the lowest-valued squads in the tournament. Both sides exceeded expectations, advancing to the knockout play-offs despite competing against financially superior opponents.

The data highlights that only RB Leipzig (€177.42M per point) had a more inefficient campaign than 2023 champions Manchester City (€117.27M per point). The German club won just 3 points despite a squad worth over €532 million. Manchester City, the highest-valued squad in Europe, finished second-worst in cost-per-point efficiency.

Key Takeaways:

• Dinamo Zagreb, Brest, and Celtic were the most efficient teams based on squad market value per collected point
• Least efficient teams: RB Leipzig (€177.42M per point) and Manchester City (€117.27M per point) were the only two teams with points costing over €100M each
• RB Leipzig and Manchester City were the least efficient teams, being the only two sides with a cost per point exceeding €100 million
• Among the eight teams that qualified directly for the Round of 16, Lille was the most efficient, earning one point per €18.34 million
• Arsenal, Barcelona, and Liverpool had the most expensive points among the top-performing teams
• Among direct qualifiers for the Round of 16, Lille was the most efficient, while Arsenal was the least efficient
• Real Madrid (€82.00M per point) and PSG (€69.65M per point) ranked among the least efficient clubs among the play-off teams

Lille, Brest Both Big for Ligue 1

Among the eight teams that qualified directly for the Round of 16, Lille emerged as the most efficient side, collecting 16 points with a squad worth €293.5M, bringing their cost-per-point down to €18.34M. Atletico Madrid (€27.60M per point) and Inter (€35.27M per point) followed as the next most cost-effective teams in this tier, demonstrating strong performances relative to their financial resources. On the other end, Liverpool (€46.07M per point), Barcelona (€53.68M per point), and Arsenal (€60.53M per point) ranked among the least efficient of the direct qualifiers.

In the second tier, which consists of teams heading into the knockout play-offs, Brest (€9.24M per point), Celtic (€10.30M per point), and Club Brugge (€13.82M per point) emerged as the standout performers. These teams managed to collect double-digit points despite having some of the lowest squad valuations in the competition. Their ability to compete with financially superior opponents highlights the impact of well-executed tactics and squad utilization.

RB Leipzig Disaster

At the opposite end, Bayern Munich (€59.07M per point), PSG (€69.65M per point), Real Madrid (€82.00M per point), and Manchester City (€117.27M per point) ranked among the least efficient in this group. Manchester City stood alone as the only play-off team exceeding €100M per point, underlining how their squad valuation did not translate into a high points tally. Borussia Dortmund (€30.18M per point) and Milan (€36.20M per point) sat closer to the mid-range, avoiding both extremes while maintaining competitive efficiency levels.

The third tier, featuring teams eliminated from the competition, saw Dinamo Zagreb (€7.93M per point) leading the efficiency rankings, followed by Sturm Graz (€11.33M per point) and Crvena Zvezda (€14.05M per point). These teams exited the tournament but demonstrated strong cost-effectiveness, making the most of their limited resources.

At the other extreme, RB Leipzig (€177.42M per point) recorded the worst efficiency of any team, surpassing even Manchester City despite having a significantly lower squad value. Other clubs with high cost-per-point figures included RB Salzburg (€59.52M per point), Girona (€61.50M per point), and Stuttgart (€33.42M per point), all of whom struggled to translate their market value into meaningful results.

For Slovan Bratislava and Young Boys, the campaign ended in complete disappointment, as they failed to collect a single point, marking a tournament to forget. Slovan, with the lowest squad value in the competition (€28.98M), had little room to maneuver, while Young Boys (€69.13M) also failed to put up resistance against competition that proved too strong. These two sides were the only ones to finish the tournament with zero points, standing at the very bottom of the efficiency rankings.

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