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Under club president Florentino Pérez, Real Madrid Football Club appeared to utilise the proto-image of the firm (PIF) management approach. Such a strategy embraces the use of branding, values and mid- to long-term planning to generate income. In the case of Real Madrid, the strategy comprised the recruitment of 'Galácticos', which helped it to become the world's number one club in terms of both turnover and profile. Although the strategy delivered success economically, questions remain regarding its sustainability for a sporting organisation.

The purpose of this paper is to review the latest management developments across the globe and pinpoint practical implications from cutting-edge research and case studies.

This briefing is prepared by an independent writer who adds his/her own impartial comments and places the articles in context.

In July, the football and pop worlds were rocked by the shocking news that, almost unbelievably, diva Rihanna had been overtaken as the fifth most popular Facebook page by Portuguese forward Cristiano Ronaldo, who was adding 175,000 page likes a day. Like, OMG.

This paper provides strategic insights and practical thinking that have influenced some of the world’s leading organizations.

The briefing saves busy executives and researchers hours of reading time by selecting only the very best, most pertinent information and presenting it in a condensed and easy-to-digest format.

The purpose of this paper is to analyze the relationship between financial and operational performance and the application of two different talent management (TM) models: internal talent development model and external talent capture model. Comparative case studies of the Football Club Barcelona and the Real Madrid Football Club allow drawing a definitive conclusion for TM in companies related to the competitive strategy.

The two TM models are examined via a longitudinal comparative case study analysis: FC Barcelona and Real Madrid CF. Present paper builds on secondary sources: first, the TM properties of the clubs were extracted from academic sources and newspapers; second, data used to analyze the financial performance were derived from SABI database and operational performance was measured as the effectiveness in winning trophies in football championships (data gathered from Union of European Football Associations and International Federation of Football Associations databases).

The case analysis reveals that the two TM models offer equally effective financial and operational performance outcomes. The internal talent development model would be more useful for companies whose competitive advantage is achieved through differentiation through teamwork. However, companies that do not achieve a clear differentiation through teamwork should opt for the external talent capture model.

Talent is one of a company’s most important intangible assets. Although there exists a growing interest among companies as to the best way to TM, practical models on how to manage talent are virtually nonexistent. Comparative case studies from the sports arena allow for the extraction of lessons for companies related to TM and competitive strategy.