A club that has enjoyed unprecedented recent success would usually face the challenge of an ageing squad. Frighteningly for Real Madrid’s rivals, the club that has won 6 Champions League titles in 11 years do not have much succession planning work to do to continue their dominance.

Looking just at players born 1998 to 2001 – in other words, players generally entering their prime – Real Madrid have the second-most valuable group of players in the world. For players born 2002 or later – and therefore 3-5 years from their peak – they again rank in the top two. If you combine these cohorts, no club comes within 20% of Real Madrid’s market value.

Club ownership and leadership teams have a responsibility to look beyond the next game or even season; while Real have enviable resources, the table below shows how they are better placed than many to win in the medium term.