Is the Club World Cup worth the cash? Europe's elite have been asking themselves that question all summer. Manchester City banked around £38million from a four-game stay in the United States and was furious at being dumped out of the competition by Al Hilal.
For Bayern Munich, a run to the quarter-finals isn't worth the loss of Jamal Musiala, who suffered a dreadful leg injury in their defeat to Paris St-Germain. Other clubs will count the pennies next to the cost of fitness when the real action starts in August.
Being crowned world champions might sound grand, but ask any of the big hitters from Europe if they would rather win this or the Champions League, and we know what the answer will be. Many of them might even prefer to win their domestic leagues.
That is probably the case for England's two entrants. There is a school of thought that, as disappointed as City were by their shock defeat to the Saudi Pro League side, it might actually do them some good. It allowed the players a four-week break before a three-week block of pre-season training.
Those teams still going strong across the Atlantic won't get the same benefits. By the time Chelsea's participation ends in Sunday's final at the MetLife Stadium, City's squad will have spent the best part of 12 days on the beach.
Victory against Real Madrid or Paris St-Germain will take Chelsea's total earnings to £97million, an invaluable sum for a club flirting with the Premier League's Profit and Sustainability Regulations (PSR). The unknown cost is the impact it will have on a campaign in the most physically demanding league in the world and on Chelsea's return to the Champions League.
Speaking before City were knocked out, Pep Guardiola admitted he had no idea how their
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