Deloitte: Real Madrid becomes the first club to generate more than €750m and regain their place as the highest revenue generating club in world football
Having generated record revenue of €750.9m (over CZK 19.2bn), Real Madrid has returned to first place in the Money League for the first time since 2014/15. The 20 highest earning football clubs in the world generated a record €8.3bn (over CZK 213bn) of combined revenue in 2017/18, an increase of 6% on the previous year, according to the 22ndedition of the Deloitte Football Money League which ranks the top 20 clubs by revenue in 2017/18.
This year, the top of the Money League is dominated by Spanish clubs. Having generated €690.4m, FC Barcelona climbs one place to second, whilst Manchester United with €666m slips to third having been first last year.
The three wealthiest clubs of the season generated €2.1bn of collective revenue, more than double the aggregate revenue of the same top three clubs 10 years before (2007/08 season). Revenue of almost €200m (ie, over CZK 5bn) was required to secure a place in this year’s top 20.
Broadcast remains the largest individual income stream, comprising 43% of total revenue. However, a noticeable trend in this year’s edition has been the growth in the club’s commercial revenue, which now represents 40% of total revenue. Matchday revenue remains unchanged at 17%.
European football remains a bull market, with annual revenue growth of almost €450 million in this year’s Football Money League. Real Madrid’ revenue increased by more than €75m year-on-year as they secured their third successive Champions League title. This was primarily due to commercial growth of €54.8m including an uplift in sponsorship, merchandising and exploitation of increasingly lucrative pre-season fixtures. At €356.2m, Los Blancos now have the highest commercial revenue of any football club globally.
“Most of the top 10 are through to the Round of 16 of the UEFA Champions League and forecasting further revenue growth, meaning their relative performances in UEFA’s flagship competition this season could have a noticeable impact on our rankings next year,” says Dan Jones, partner in the Sports Business Group at Deloitte.
Despite Manchester United slipping from first to third overall, the English Premier League provided six teams in the top 10 this year, the most ever from one country. France’s Paris Saint-Germain have reversed two consecutive years of decline in this year’s Money League, improving one place to finish in sixth. The marquee signings of Neymar Jr. and Kylian Mbappé in the summer of 2017 had a noticeable positive impact on PSG’s revenue, with the club achieving a total of €541.7m.
Bayern Munich ranks fourth, making it 11 consecutive times in the top five. Milan’s Internazionale moves up one place to 14th, whilst AS Roma and AC Milan return to the top 20 thanks to performances in the UEFA competition. Performance in the Champions League was also key for Turkey’s Beşiktas (26th), who have achieved their highest ever Money League position, and Spain’s Sevilla (27th).
To review the full findings of the Deloitte Football Money Leaguein English, please visit this link.
Deloitte Football Money League’s Top 20:
| Position (last year’s position) | Club | 2017/18 Revenue (€m) (2016/17 Revenue) | 2017/18 Revenue (£m) (2016/17 Revenue) |
| 1 (2) | Real Madrid | 750.9 (674.6) | 665.2 (579.7) |
| 2 (3) | FC Barcelona | 690.4 (648.3) | 611.6 (557.1) |
| 3 (1) | Manchester United | 666 (676.3) | 590 (581.2) |
| 4 (4) | Bayern Munich | 629.2 (587.8) | 557.4 (505.1) |
| 5 (5) | Manchester City | 568.4 (527.7) | 503.5 (453.5) |
| 6 (7) | Paris Saint-Germain | 541.7 (486.2) | 479.9 (417.8) |
| 7 (9) | Liverpool | 513.7 (424.2) | 455.1 (364.5) |
| 8 (8) | Chelsea | 505.7 (428.0) | 448 (367.8) |
| 9 (6) | Arsenal | 439.2 (487.6) | 389.1 (419) |
| 10 (11) | Tottenham Hotspur | 428.3 (359.5) | 379.4 (308.9) |
| 11 (10) | Juventus | 394.9 (405.7) | 349.8 (348.6) |
| 12 (12) | Borussia Dortmund | 317.2 (332.6) | 281 (285.8) |
| 13 (13) | Atlético de Madrid | 304.4 (272.5) | 269.6 (234.2) |
| 14 (15) | Internazionale | 280.8 (262.1) | 248.7 (225.2) |
| 15 (n/a) | AS Roma | 250 (171.8) | 221.5 (147.6) |
| 16 (16) | Schalke 04 | 243.8 (230.2) | 216 (197.8) |
| 17 (20) | Everton | 212.9 (199.2) | 188.6 (171.2) |
| 18 (n/a) | AC Milan | 207.7 (191.7) | 184 (164.7) |
| 19 (n/a) | Newcastle United | 201.5 (99.7) | 178.5 (85.7) |
| 20 (17) | West Ham | 197.9 (213.3) | 175.3 (183.3) |