Top 10 money-making football clubs

10. AC Milan

AC Milan took the tenth spot, with annual revenues of €196.5 million. The football club fell three positions from a year earlier.

Overall revenues for the Top 20 clubs increased in 2008/09 and were over 3.9 billion Euro, as top clubs showed relative resistance to the economic downturn.

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9. Internazionale Milano

The Italian football club where the Romanian center-back Cristian Chivu currently plays for scored €196.5 million revenues in one year.

Whilst combined revenue growth for the top 20 clubs slowed compared to previous years, the majority of clubs achieved revenue increases in local currency in 2008/09.

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8. Juventus

The football club in Turin took the eight spot, with a €203.2 million fortune.

“We continue to assert that the game’s top clubs are well placed to meet the challenges presented by the difficult economic environment. Their large and loyal supporter bases, ability to drive broadcast audiences, and continuing attraction to corporate partners provide a strong base to underpin revenues. This premise is supported by clubs’ revenue performance in 2008/09. However it will not be until 2009/10, the season currently in progress, before we see the full impact on clubs’ revenues,” Deloitte said.

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7. Liverpool

Liverpool is ranked seventh, with €217 million revenues.

“Financial problems experienced at the very highest level are far more likely to be a result of mismanagement, weak cost control or a lack of available credit than any problems with revenue generation,” said Dan Dan Jones, Partner in the Sports Business Group at Deloitte.

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6. Chelsea

Chelsea, the UK football club, held by the Russian billionaire Roman Abramovich, takes the sixth spot with total revenues of €242.3 million, one position down from a year earlier.

Broken down by country, UK leads the charts with seven football clubs in Top 20, four of which in Top 10, followed by Germany with five football clubs in Top 20 of which one in Top 10, Italy (four), Spain and France (two each).

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5. Arsenal

Arsenal returned to the top five in the Money League after a one year absence, climbing one place to replace London rivals Chelsea, with a 7% increase in revenue to €263 million.

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4. Bayern Munchen

On the fourth position is Bayern Munchen with €289.5 million.

All teams included in the Top 20 are present in the European football competition: Germany with five, Italy with four and France and Spain with two teams each.

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3. Manchester United

Manchester United slipped to third position, with revenues of €327 million.

“United, like other English clubs, was impacted by the continuing depreciation of the Pound Sterling against the Euro. The scale of this is shown by the fact that if exchange rates remained at their June 2007 level, United would be top of the Money League table.”

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2. Barcelona

Barcelona knocked Manchester United off the second spot, with the English Champions falling to third in the report, which ranks the 20 biggest football clubs in the world based on revenue. Analysis in the Football Money League covers the 2008/09 season and is the most contemporary and reliable analysis of clubs’ relative financial performance.

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1. Real Madrid

Real Madrid remains the world’s largest revenue generating football club, for the fifth consecutive year, according to the latest Football Money League from business advisory firm Deloitte.

Real also becomes the first team in any sport to record revenues in excess of €400 million in a single year.

According to Deloitte, Real Madrid’s 10% increase in revenue to €401 million came despite a relatively disappointing season domestically and in Europe, taking the lead to its old rival FC Barcelona.

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