Real Madrid top the Deloitte Football Money League for an 11th consecutive year, with revenue of €577 million confirming the Spanish giants’ status as the world’s richest football club.
Madrid missed out on the Champions League and La Liga titles in 2014-15, but still saw their revenue grow by €22.7m on the season before, with commercial revenue the main driver of this growth.
Barcelona leapfrogged Manchester United and Bayern Munich to climb to second place with revenue of €560.8m, a €76m rise compared to 2013-14, following a hugely successful 2014-15 in which they won the treble.
Barca’s broadcast revenue rose by €17.7m to €199.8m, while beating Juventus in the Champions League final resulted in UEFA distributions of €61m – a €19.1m increase.
Manchester United, although slipping one place to third, remain the highest revenue-generating club in the Premier League, earning €519.5m (£395.2m).
United are expected to put the pressure on Madrid in top spot over the next two years due to their return to the Champions League and commercial success, as well as the new Premier League television deal that will come into effect in 2016-17.
Dan Jones, partner in the Sports Business Group at Deloitte, commented: “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 Bernabeu will help to continue the growth in matchday income in the coming years.
“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.”
Paris Saint-Germain, up one place to fourth, and Bayern Munich, down two places to fifth, complete the top five with revenues of €480.8m and €474m, respectively.
Places six to nine are occupied by Premier League clubs, with Manchester City holding on to sixth place, ahead of Arsenal (up one place to seventh), Chelsea (down one place to eighth) and Liverpool (ninth). Italian champions Juventus complete the top 10.
Top 10 in full:
1 Real Madrid €577m
2 Barcelona €560.8m
3. Manchester United €519.5m
4. Paris Saint-Germain €480.8m
5. Bayern Munich €474m
6. Manchester City €463.5
7. Arsenal €435.5m
8. Chelsea €420m
9. Liverpool €291.8m
10. Juventus €323.9m
