Deloitte have revealed the 23rd edition of their Football Money League (DFML), showing the highest revenue-generating clubs in the world, and the results place Barcelona at the head of the pack, with Real Madrid and Manchester United following in second and third. But worryingly for the Premier League side, rivals Manchester City and Liverpool have significantly closed the gap on them.
Published just eight months after the end of the 2018/19 season, the DFML remains the most contemporary and reliable independent analysis of the clubs’ relative financial performance. And generating record revenue of £741m for the 2018/19 season, it’s Barcelona who reach the top of the Money League for the first time, becoming the first club to break the €800m barrier. It’s a Spanish one-two for the second consecutive year; however, the positions swap with Real Madrid dropping to second place.
United then follow, with Bayern Munich and Paris Saint-Germain making up the top five. But the Premier League dominates the top 20 once again, with eight clubs appearing. And on the face of it United look fairly comfortable in third. Since Deloitte first compiled the Money League survey following the 1996/97 season Manchester United have been the highest-ranked English club, but their position looks under threat after they were forecast reduced revenues of between £560-580m for 2019/20 – figures that would see them sliding to somewhere between fifth and seventh on current trends.
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.
Top 20 – Revenue in £ (2017/18 figure)
1 Barcelona 741.1 (611.6)
2 Real Madrid 667.5 (665.2)
3 Manchester United 627.1 (589.8)
4 Bayern Munich 581.8 (557.4)
5 Paris St-Germain 560.5 (479.9)
6 Manchester City 538.2 (503.5)
7 Liverpool 533 (455.1)
8 Tottenham 459.3 (379.4)
9 Chelsea 452.2 (448)
10 Juventus 405.2 (349.5)
11 Arsenal 392.7 (389.1)
12 Borussia Dortmund 332.4 (281)
11 Atletico Madrid 324 (269.6)
14 Inter Milan 321.3 (248.7)
15 Schalke 286.3 (216)
16 Roma 203.6 (221.5)
17 Lyon 194.6 (145.5)
18 West Ham 190.7 (175.3)
19 Everton 187.7 (188.6)
20 Napoli 182.8 (161.9)
Head to deloitte.com to view the full report.
