We take a look at Deloitte's 23rd edition of Football Money League (DFML), showcasing the highest revenue-generating clubs in the world ...
Spanish football powerhouse Barcelona topped the Deloitte Football Money League list for the first time ever and at the same time become the first club to break the €800m barrier, generating revenue of over €840m
Their fierce rivals in Spain, Real Madrid who previously led this list for 2019 dropped to second spot with revenues of €750.9 million.
The Premier League continues to contribute the most clubs to the Money League top 20, with eight clubs making the cut in this year’s edition. Manchester United still remain the United Kingdoms top placed club listed at third place with a revenue of € 711.5 but will this year run the risk of losing their position as the Premier League’s highest revenue generating club for the first time as a result of not qualifying for this season’s Champions League. United’s closest domestic rivals, Manchester City and Liverpool, generated revenues of $696.6m and $689.9m respectively with Liverpool's long-term ambitions of a top five Money League position in future editions not unrealistic, particularly if the club can continue to build on its recent on-pitch success having won the Premier League and UEFA Champions League.
Tottenham Hotspur became London’s highest revenue generating club for the first time since 1996/9 having reached eighth position, overtaking Arsenal (11th) and Chelsea (9th).
Around the world clubs from the other ‘big five’ football leagues – France’s Ligue 1, Spain’s La Liga, Germany’s Bundesliga and Italy’s Serie A, also feature in the top 20. The 2018/19 season saw impressive double-digit percentage growth in all revenue streams for Paris Saint-Germain as the club rose to fifth in the Money League, its highest position since 2014/15. The club generated $414.6m of commercial revenue, the second highest in Money League history, attributable to the signing of five new partners and the extension of contracts with six global brands.
Juventus regains 10th place in this year’s Money League as revenue increased to $405.2m. The arrival of talismanic forward Cristiano Ronaldo, who alone has more Instagram followers than Real Madrid and FC Barcelona combined, increased Juventus’ commercial appeal. As a result, Juve saw an uplift in commercial revenue in part due to an increase in brand visibility in 2018/19. The club also increased revenue from merchandise sales as a result of signing the marquee player.
The only non-‘big five’ participants in the top 30 were Ajax in 23rd $227.5m), Benfica 24th ($225.5m), FC Zenit Saint Petersburg 28th ($205.8m) and FC Porto 29th ($201m).
Overall, the 20 highest earning football clubs in the world generated a record €9.3bn (2018: €8.3bn) of combined revenue in 2018/19, an increase of 11% on the previous year.
Here we detail Deloitte's top 20 highest earning clubs:
Head to deloitte.com to view the full report.
