How sports directors run football clubs like corporate CEOs

In the present football scene, the role of a sports director has evolved to be almost exactly like that of a chief executive officer (CEO) in a sizable corporation. Though football teams have their own CEOs who oversee business operations, the sports director is the driving force behind the football club's sporting vision, just as a CEO leads a company toward its strategic goals. Their responsibilities include hiring, budgeting, future planning, crisis management—all of which are somewhat comparable to those of corporate leaders.

Vision and strategic thought

The CEO creates the long-term strategic vision for a firm and also ensures that every department is aiming toward the same goal. In football as well, a sports director must establish a strategy and ensure that selecting coaches, developing players, and acquiring players all complement this vision.

Take Manchester City's Txiki Begiristain as an example, since he joined the club in 2012, Begiristain has been crucial in forging the footballing ethos that has placed City among the most potent sides in Europe. Bringing in Pep Guardiola in 2016, he made a great decision Under Begiristain's direction, Manchester City clinched many Premier League titles, domestic cups, and the long awaited UEFA Champions League in 2023. His responsibilities include those of a CEO overseeing the long-term viability of a sizable company, selecting key executives, and preserving organizational cohesiveness all around.

Another eminent example is former Chelsea sporting director Marina Granovskaia. She was mainly considered as a negotiator, although her influence at Chelsea went much beyond mere closing business. She was crucial in developing the long-term recruiting plan for the squad, ensuring that fresh players complemented its objectives for both financial stability and football. By effectively controlling player sales and signing exceptional players like Eden Hazard, N'Golo Kanté, and Kai Havertz, Chelsea showed the financial and strategic acumen required of a top-notational CEO.

Hiring and acquiring talent 

One of the primary responsibilities of both CEOs and sports directors is talent acquisition. In the corporate world, this means hiring the right executives, managers, and specialists to drive the company forward. In football, it means scouting and signing the right players to fit the club's tactical and financial strategy.

Consider Michael Edwards' tenure at Liverpool. Building a club that won the Champions League and the Premier League depended much on his data-driven hiring approach and smart financial decisions. Liverpool made big transfers under his supervision that enabled the squad to soar—including Virgil van Dijk, Alisson Becker, and Mohamed Salah. This is like a CEO selecting top performers in their field, appointing significant executives, and assembling a team capable of driving the company forward.

After Edwards left in 2022, Liverpool struggled to maintain their recruitment efficiency. The club reappointed him as Chief Executive of Football for Fenway Sports Group in 2024, proving the value of his role, much as a big company could rehire a capable CEO to help to steady operations.

Fiscal acumen and resource allocation

Working under financial constraints, sports directors and CEOs have to maximize success. To keep the club competitive, sports directors have to balance transfer budgets, pay structures, and financial fair play criteria; CEOs make efficient use of resources to guarantee firm success.

Think of Monchi at Sevilla, whose ability to spot players for a great profit while maintaining teams competitive is on par with that of a top CEO running a fast growing company. Sevilla has regularly achieved without exceeding budget because he can turn little investments into great players and subsequently sell them for astronomical amounts. In the same line, CEOs of companies usually maximize running expenses, increase income sources, and make wise acquisitions to support long-term development.

Decision-making and crisis management

Sports directors and CEOs must react fast to crises if they are to prevent disaster. Whether they entail managerial dismissals, shaky finances, or unexpected performance decreases, their ability to manage turbulent events is absolutely vital.

A great example is the most recent turbulence in Barcelona. The club was suffering financial problems, hence Mateu Alemany was in charge of rebuilding the team, lowering the payroll, and getting free transfers and strategic sales. His approach resembled that of a CEO leading a company through financial restructuring to guarantee its existence while maintaining its competitiveness.

The bigger picture

In the end, a football team runs much like a business with several stakeholders including owners, supporters, and sponsors expecting outcomes. Like a CEO, a sports director has to reconcile the expectations of various stakeholders with guaranteeing ongoing success. Whether it's Mateu Alemany reorganizing Barcelona's money and transfers during financial turmoil or Luís Campos determining PSG's future, these people contribute in ways much beyond merely buying players.

One recent football trend emphasizes this analogy even more. Like companies using industry best practices, many teams are increasingly attempting to copy successful designs. For example, Chelsea has tried to follow Manchester City's approach, bringing Etihad setup experts to help change their operations. Such actions mirror corporate policies whereby companies appoint rivals' executives to copy their success.

Sports directors have taken over as the CEOs of their teams in a time when football is more of a business than a game. Modern footballing giants' success is much shaped by their strategic insight, financial discipline, and crisis management abilities.

Be it Txiki Begiristain's meticulous long-term planning at Manchester City or Michael Edwards' calculated recruitment at Liverpool and Marina Granovskaia's business-minded transfer dealings at Chelsea, these figures operate in a manner strikingly similar to corporate executives. Their impact goes well beyond the field; it determines the fate of their clubs with the same degree of authority a CEO has on a big  company.