The rich get are getting richer according to figures in the latest football money league.
The 20 highest earning football clubs in the world generated €6.6bn (£5bn) of revenue last season, an increase of 8% on the previous year.
The figures gathered in the 19thedition of the Football Money League from Deloitte, the business advisory firm put Real Madrid top for the eleventh year in a row, having generated €577m (£439m) in the 2014/15 season.
Commercial revenue was the main driver of this growth, increasing by €22.7m from the previous season. Matchday income also saw an increase of €9.1m. Broadcast revenue, however, fell by €4.3m during the season.
Dan Jones, partner in the Sports Business Group at Deloitte, comments: “For the first time, the top three clubs in the Football Money League have all passed the €500m revenue mark.
“Real Madrid once again delivered a strong financial performance, buoyed by growth in their commercial revenue.
“The planned redevelopment of the Santiago Bernabéu will help to continue the growth in matchday income in the coming years.
“FC Barcelona’s on-pitch achievements in the 2014/15 season have translated to financial success.
“The European champions have climbed to second place at the expense of Manchester United, with revenue growth across all areas of the business – matchday, broadcast and commercial.”
With nine English Premier League clubs in the list of the top 20 highest earners, Manchester United lead the charge despite slipping one place to third, with revenues of €519.5m (£395.2m).
Chelsea fell one place to eighth, with Arsenal climbing to seventh. Manchester City and Liverpool are the other two Premier League clubs in the top 10, placing sixth and ninth respectively.
Tim Bridge, Senior Manager at Deloitte, comments: “Despite a reduction in revenue year-on-year, the fact that Manchester United remain in the top three of the Money League demonstrates the underlying strength of the club’s business model.
“The return to Champions League football, as well as the commencement of a number of significant commercial partnerships, will only strengthen the business in 2015/16.
“With this in mind, it would not be surprising to see United top next year’s Money League for the first time in 12 years, with the club forecasting revenues of around £500m (around €650m).”
A 10% strengthening of sterling versus the euro helped English clubs secure a record nine places within this year’s top 20, one more than in last year’s edition.
In their first appearance since 2005/06, West Ham United have once again joined the world’s revenue-generating elite, as revenues rose by £5.9m to £122.4m (€160.9m).
Premier League clubs now dominate the top 30, with 17 of those clubs having played in the Premier League during the 2014/15 season.
Bridge adds: “Despite disappointing performances by Premier League clubs in recent European competitions, they continue to lead the way in revenue terms.
“With the new round of Premier League broadcast deals set to deliver greatly improved domestic broadcast revenues in 2016/17, we expect to see Premier League clubs cementing their places in the top 30 in the coming years, with potential for some of these to climb into the top 20.”
This year’s Football Money League has also seen movement amongst Europe’s football giants, with Bayern Munich falling from third to fifth place, their lowest position since 2006/07.
The German champions were leapfrogged by Paris Saint-Germain, the only French team in the top 20, following another year of growth and a revenue of €480.8m (£365.8m).
Despite a successful Champions League campaign for Juventus, and Roma’s jump from 24th to 16th, it has been a disappointing season for Italian clubs in revenue terms.
Both Inter and AC Milan have slipped two places in the last year, with the former close to dropping out of the top 20 of the Money League for the first time.
Jones adds: “The 2014/15 Money League has been another year of growth for the ‘big five’ European leagues. However, we have also seen a slowdown of growth from the top five clubs, with revenues growing by just 4% year on year, compared to 11% in the previous edition.
“It may be hard for new clubs to break into the top 10 in the short term, given the €43.3m revenue gap between 10th and 11th place.”
