1. Manchester City: €731M
Manchester City remains the highest earning club in Europe with €731 million, ahead of Real Madrid with €714 million and Liverpool with €701.7 in the 2021-22 season, according to the ‘Deloitte Football Money League’ report produced by consultancy firm Deloitte.
2. Real Madrid €714M
The 20 ‘richest’ European soccer clubs had a total turnover of 9.2 billion euros last year.
3. Liverpool €701.7M
The 20 clubs turned over 13 percent more than the previous Deloitte Football Money League’s 8.2 billion turnover in the 2020-21 season.
4. Manchester United €688.6M
Growth was driven by increased ‘match day’ revenues following the return of fans to stadiums after the pandemic.
5. París Saint-Germain €654.2M
In this regard, revenues from this item rose from 111 million euros in the 2020-21 season – when matches were still being played with limited crowds due to the pandemic – to 1.4 billion euros in the 2021-22 season.
6th Bayern Munich €653.6M
«Matchday revenues have been the main growth lever for European clubs compared to the previous season, although there is still potential for growth with respect to pre-pandemic revenues,» explained Concha Iglesias, partner in charge of Sports at Deloitte Spain.
7. FC Barcelona €638.2M
Iglesias pointed out that the projects that the main clubs have underway, such as the new Bernabéu or Espai Barça, will allow them to attract additional income «through a business model that will allow them to maximize their activity 365 days a year».
8. Chelsea €568.3M
For the first time in the history of the report’s publication, more than half of the 20 clubs with the highest revenues belong to a single country.
9. Tottenham Hotspur €523M
In this edition, 11 teams from the Premier League (England) are in this select group.
10. Arsenal €433.5M
Five of the six largest clubs in the English league had revenue growth of 15 percent or more to a total increase of €226 million.
11. Juventus €400.6M
The reasons are new commercial actions and the return of events outside game days, such as concerts and stadium tours.
12. Atlético de Madrid €393.9M
Among Spanish clubs, Real Madrid maintains second place, with 714 million euros in revenues; FC Barcelona is seventh, with 638.2 million euros; and Atlético de Madrid is twelfth, with 394 million euros in revenues.
13. borussia Dortmund €356.9M
The most notable leap of the season was that of Liverpool, who climbed from seventh to third place above Manchester United thanks to being a finalist in the 2021-22 Champions League.
14. Inter Milan €308.4M
The increase in commercial revenue was offset by an 11% drop (€485 million) in retransmission revenue, as there was no repeat of the record year experienced in 2020/21, which also added revenue from pandemic season postponements.
15. West Ham United €301,2M
Real Madrid and Barcelona, which have been historical powerhouses in this ranking, have yet to recover pre-pandemic revenue levels (their revenues are down €203M and €43M, respectively, compared to the last pre-pandemic season.
16. AC Milan €264.9M
In contrast, the group consisting of Liverpool (+€97M compared to the 2018/19 season), PSG (+€18M) and Chelsea (+€55M) have surpassed their pre-pandemic levels, and in the case of Manchester City (+€120M) has risen to the top of the rankings in that time.
17. Leicester City €252,2M
For the first time since 2018/19, a new club entered the Money League top 10, with Arsenal replacing Juventus (who dropped from 9th to 11th), while FC Barcelona recorded one of the steepest falls in the rankings, as the club slipped from 4th to 7th place.
18. Leeds United €223,4M
Among Italian clubs, Juventus generated revenues of €401M in 2021/22, compared to €460M in 2018/19, due to attendance restrictions in Serie A and an unsuccessful competition in European competitions.
19. Everton €213,7M / 20 Newcastle United €212,3M
Among the clubs in the second half of the table, West Ham, which generated €85M more than before the pandemic, performed well financially.
Women’s soccer
For the first time, Deloitte’s report also includes financial data for the top women’s teams in Europe, which reported an average revenue of €2.4 million in the 2021-22 season.
FC Barcelona, leader, with €7.7M
FC Barcelona generated the highest revenue of all the clubs in the ranking. The Champions League champion in 2021 and finalist in 2022 generated revenues of €7.7 million in the 2021-22 season. In second place comes Manchester United, with €6 million, and Manchester City is third, with €5.1 million.
Potential growth
«Women’s professional soccer is still in its infancy and its reported revenues show that there is still great potential for growth in the coming seasons. Above all, it is worth highlighting FC Barcelona, as the club that generated the most revenue from women’s soccer,» said Concha Iglesias.
