Dortmund leave Club World Cup hopeful for the future

Borussia Dortmund hope that their Club World Cup adventure will be a stepping stone towards better results in the future.

Dortmund have generated more then €100 million ($118 million) from income at the tournament in the United States as well as the sale of players over the past weeks, led by Jamie Gittens' move to Chelsea for a reported €65 million.

Sporting director Sebastian Kehl said after Saturday's 3-2 quarter-final defeat against Real Madrid that at least part of the money will be reinvested.

"Something will happen on the transfer market. We will definitely do something. We will make the team better than last year," Kehl said.

Dortmund marketing managing director Carsten Cramer told dpa that "we do have a few advantages" but that they also "worked hard for them".

That includes qualifying for the Club World Cup with its $1 billion prize money with good showings such as reaching the Champions League final in 2024.

"We are eighth in the European ranking, were in the Champions League quarter-finals and are now among the best eight in the world. That is something to be proud of," managing director for sport Lars Ricken told dpa.

However, Dortmund will need to make efforts to establish themselves as biggest rivals of Bayern Munich in Germany and also to shine on the international stage.

Dortmund only reached the next Champions League via a strong Bundesliga finish for fourth place under new coach Niko Kovac, and they were largely outplayed by star-studded Real on Saturday at MetLife Stadium.

Kovac admitted that extra time, which suddenly became possible due to a turbulent stoppage time period, "would have not been fair".

Midfielder Pascal Gross said that "a different kind of football is played in the Bundesliga" compared to the Club World Cup, where Dortmund were however not fully glorious in their other games either.

However, playing on the global stage has generated 2 million new followers on social media for Dortmund - who could also recently report a renewal until 2034 with their kit makers Puma which is said to worth €300 million.

"Our networks, our partners, the number of our fans, our digital reach, and of course our turnover, is growing and growing," Cramer said.

However, a lot of work still awaits them, on the pitch and off it as well, with the vast majority of the 77,000 fans on Saturday supporting Real.

"We know about the tasks ahead of us in the world. We don't want to and can't compare ourselves with Real Madrid," Kehl said.