On Tuesday evening, one of the most interesting matches of this competition ever played in the Champions League. Fifteen times Real Madrid champion joined Kajrat Almaty near the Chinese border.
Foreign media this duel marked For the most unbalanced match in the entire history of the Champions League. And this comparison also confirms the numbers.
According to the specialized portal Transfermarkt, the Madrid team has a market value of 1.4 billion euros, while the entire first team of Kajrat costs only 13 million euros. You wouldn’t find a bigger difference in quality between two teams in the Champions League.
Even more curious is the fact that the entire value of the kajrat cadre equals less than half of the year’s salary Kylian Mbappe in Real.
Football players from Madrid had to take an unusually long flight -estimated up to 13 hours long -which flew over 6000 kilometers. Also a flight to New York would take Real shorter than the way to Almaty. The largest Kazakh city is closer to Jakarta in Indonesia than to Madrid.
However, the arrival of Real Madrid was a very important moment for the Kazakh fans and overall for Kazakhstan. From the point of view of Kajrat’s club history, it was clearly the biggest match ever.
The way the players themselves were looking forward to seeing it was already seen by the draw. The Internet was spreading video, as they jumped around the room when they learned that they would welcome the famous Real Madrid at home.
However, not only football players on the pitch, but also fans at the stadium or TV. Reportedly, approximately every fifth Kazakh is a fan of Real Madrid or Barcelona.
And the joy did not spoil the loss by five goals.
Specific cadre of the Kajrat
The city of Almaty is essentially located in Central Asia. The Champions League has never been played so far in the east in history. How is it possible?
The key in this case is 2002, when the Kazakh Football Federation decided to become a member of UEFA instead of the Asian Football Confederation.
Some experts therefore alert The fact that Kajrat’s success is more than just a sporty surprise – it is also evidence of ambitious integration of Kazakhstan into the system of European football.
The Champions League qualification itself is a big plus for the whole Kazakh football, which can make it a little more visible on the European scene.
Kairat President Kairat Boranbayev said: “It is a historical moment that the Kazakh club has made it to the Champions League for the first time in decades. It is also important to us from the financial side, while the whole country is behind us.”
With a smile then he added, “Congratulations to Europe to
