Real Madrid have claimed the top spot in revenue generation, overtaking Manchester City, as per Deloitte’s latest analysis.
The 2022-23 season witnessed Los Blancos achieving a record-breaking revenue of 831 million euros (£710 million), securing their position at the pinnacle of Deloitte’s Money League study.
Real Madrid’s exceptional financial performance during the 2022-23 season propelled them to the summit of the revenue charts.
Despite facing setbacks in the Champions League semi-final against Manchester City and finishing second to Barcelona in La Liga, Real Madrid’s triumphs in the Copa del Rey, UEFA Super Cup, and FIFA Club World Cup played a crucial role in their ascent to the top.
While Manchester City experienced a remarkable season with a Treble success in the FA Cup, Premier League, and Champions League, they slipped to the second position in revenue generation. City accrued a record revenue of 826 million euros (£705.6 million) but could not outpace Real Madrid in the financial race.
Deloitte’s analysis revealed a significant overall growth in revenues for the top 20 football clubs, marking a 14% increase to a historic 10.5 billion euros (£8.97 billion).
This surge included record commercial and matchday revenues, reaching 4.4 billion euros and 1.9 billion euros, respectively.
A noteworthy shift occurred as commercial revenue surpassed broadcast revenue as the primary income stream, a trend not witnessed since 2015-16 (excluding the Covid-19 impacted 2019-20 season).
Seventeen of the top 20 clubs reported a year-on-year increase, driven by retail sales, non-matchday events like concerts, and the recovery of sponsorship income impacted by the pandemic.
Broadcast income experienced a modest 5% increase, reaching 4.2 billion euros. This growth was influenced by the existing domestic broadcast cycles during the 2022/23 season.
Real Madrid’s resurgence was accompanied by Paris Saint-Germain (€802 million), Barcelona (€800 million), and Manchester United (€746 million) rounding off the top five revenue-generating football clubs.
Liverpool experienced a notable decline, dropping from third to seventh place with revenues of €683 million (£583 million).
The top 10 also featured Tottenham, Chelsea, and Arsenal, while Newcastle and West Ham secured the 17th and 18th positions, respectively.
