Real Madrid Women's Player Melanie Leupolz Aims Critiszm at Own Club Over Investment
Real Madrid women recorded a 2-0 home win over Arsenal in the first leg of the UEFA Women's Champions League quarter-final.
The game was played at the Alfredo Di Stéfano Stadium on a pitch that was visibly below standard, which is being kind. The weather did not help, but both teams struggled to play free-flowing soccer.
Caicedo & Dumornay rising to the occasion 🤩#UWCLPOTM || @VisaUK pic.twitter.com/uKP5IgkePv
— UEFA Women’s Champions League (@UWCL) March 19, 2025
Most of Europe's top women's teams play at stadiums with good facilities. However, Las Blancas look to be way behind other top clubs in terms of accessibility to funding, which could help them compete further.
MORE: Florentino Perez's Requirement For Access To The Santiago Bernabeu For Real Madrid Women's Teams
It has been confirmed with recent comments from Real Madrid Femenino midfielder Melanie Leupolz. The German spoke on a recent podcast, 'Kicker FE:male,' and she talked about funding and why teams like WSL side Chelsea are seeing more success in the women's game.
Do you invest first and then succeed, or do you wait for success and then invest? It takes more time, that's for sure. In terms of financial resources, I don't know exactly, but it's certainly more difficult than at Chelsea. If you look at how many euros, pounds, or dollars they've spent, it's a different world; they can't be compared.
- Melanie Leupolz
Real Madrid women's team was established in just 2020, a merger between Club Deportivo TACÓN with the name changing to Real Madrid. That is very late for such a big soccer club, with rivals Barcelona founded in the 1970s.
Financial support for the players has not impressed Leupolz, who has criticized the funding compared to their rivals Barcelona.
Barcelona came on their own plane, then went to the Clásico, flew to Madrid for a bit, and then returned home. We took the train and stayed one night in a hotel, played, stayed another night in a hotel, and went home the next day.
- Melanie Leupolz
If the funding does increase, it would likely be that Real Madrid women could achieve even more. They will likely finish second in La Liga F for the fourth time in five seasons, behind Barcelona this year.
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Jordan Merritt is a freelance soccer writer who covers Real Madrid CF On SI. He is an obsessive soccer fan and an Arsenal supporter.