The 20 richest football clubs in the world
20. Leicester — £128.7 million. Last season, Leicester City FC rocked the world when they were crowned champions of the British Premier League for the first time in their 132-year club history. The Foxes' historic victory sent them hurtling into the top 20 this year — their £128.7 million is five times greater than their 2013/14 season just two years ago.
19. Inter Milan — £134 million. 'Internazionale' retained their place in the top 20, which they've been in since records began. Milan's second richest team have been similarly reliable in Seria A — having played continuously in Italy's top-flight since the club's inception in 1909. Their time in the Money League could be coming to an end, though, as rising Premier League revenues threaten to send them tumbling out of the list next year.
18. West Ham — £143.8 million. Despite ongoing disputes with club superstar Dimitri Payet, club form has helped the Hammers break into Deloitte's ranking. Their acquisition of the Olympic Stadium — now London Stadium — will undoubtedly increase earnings next year.
17. Zenit St Petersburg — £147 million. In 2005, Russian gas giants, Gazprom, took a controlling stake in the St. Petersburg-based side and invested millions into new signings and a new stadium. It is the only Russian club to have ever featured in the Money League.
16. AC Milan £160.6 million. Silvio Berlusconi's club managed to stem leaky profits this year, with a £13 million increase. New Chinese owners should help bolster future turnover.
15. AS Roma — £163.2 million. The Italian capital's side is currently playing without a kit sponsor. Despite this, a good run in the Champions League last season meant they were able to surpass their rivals at AC Milan for the first time.
14. Schalke — £167.9 million. Despite missing out on Champions League football last season, the Gelsenkirchen-based side managed to retain profits from an incredibly loyal following — crowds averaged 61,076 last year.
Source: Goal.
13. Atletico Madrid — £171 million. Madrid's second biggest club reached the Champion's League for the second time in three years thanks to goals from the prolific Antoine Griezmann. Increased broadcasting revenues have given a major boost to clubs across Spain.
Source: Forbes.
12. Tottenham — £209.2 million. Spurs' third place finish in the Premier League last season was their best in club history. This, teamed with vastly increased broadcasting income and a renovated White Hart Lane in 2018 means that the North London club should be brimming with confidence — financially, at least.
Source: The Guardian.
11. Borussia Dortmund — £212.3 million. Failure to qualify for the Champions League last season meant that Dortmund saw only a minor increase in revenue. Devoted fans kept the side afloat in 11th place but a richer Premier League will likely see the club fall a few notches next year.
10. Juventus — £255.1 million. Italy's biggest club was helped by a continued sponsorship deal with Jeep, which saw over 1.5 million shirt sales last season, according to The Mirror.
Source: The Mirror.
9. Liverpool — £302 million. Jurgen Klopp's side secured ninth place for the 3rd year running, despite a continued lack of Champions League football. Their revenues are set to increase next year as Anfield returns to full capacity post-renovation.
8. Chelsea — £334.6 million. Chelsea's owner, Roman Abramovich, is one of the wealthiest men in Russia — worth an estimated £5.8 billion. His vast riches have inevitably trickled down and Chelsea is rarely out of the top 5 in Deloitte's rankings. Perhaps next year will see a return for the London giants as Stanford Bridge is expanded.
7. Arsenal — £350.4 million. Matchday revenues keep Arsenal in the top 10 and no wonder — a season ticket to watch Wenger's side is the most expensive in Britain at £1014.
Source: The Mirror.
6. Paris St-Germain — £389.6 million. This is the first time PSG have dropped out of the Money League top 5 since they were famously bought up by Qatar Sports Investments for €120 million in 2011. Superstar striker, Zlatan Ibrahimovic, was sold to Manchester United last year, they've dropped two places in Deloitte's rankings since.
Source: New York Times.
5. Manchester City — £392.6 million. This is the first time Manchester City have breached the Money League top 5. Abu Dhabi-owned City had their best ever Champions League run last season after they lost out to eventual winners, Real Madrid, in the semi-finals.
4. Bayern Munich — £442.7 million. Bayern charted a monumental 25% increase in income over the last season after they won their 25th Bundesliga title and DFB-Pokal Final.
3. Real Madrid — £463.8 million. Winning the Champions League and a steady annual revenue gain of 7% wasn't enough to keep Los Blancos on top for the 12th year running.
2. Barcelona — £463.8 million. Barcelona topped their mortal enemies at last this year, perhaps thanks to the unlikely contributions of Bruce Springsteen. 'The Boss' used the Catalonian Nou Camp to host two shows of 'The River Tour', earning the club nearly €8 million.
Source: Goal.
1. Manchester United — Manchester United £515.3 million. The 'Red Devils' have never been far from the top three — briefly toppling out during their 2012/13 season under David Moyes — but this is the first time they've hit top spot in over a decade. The club benefited financially from huge sponsorship deals with Chevrolet and Adidas and a return to the Champions League.
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