Which is the richest club in the world?
Which is the richest club in the world?
Barcelona was named the world’s richest football club in 2021 according to the Deloitte rankings, maintaining a slight lead ahead of Spanish rivals Real Madrid despite having a revenue fall of €125 million (£110m/$150m) to €715m (£628m/$861m) in 2019-20.
In January 2021, Deloitte released the 2021 Football Money League, which examines the finances of the clubs that produce the most money. According to the latest figures, the top 20 teams in Europe earned a total of €8.2 billion (£7.2 billion/$9.9 million) in the 2019-20 season.
It was a 12% drop from the previous season (€9.3 billion), primarily due to the disruption caused by the Covid-19 outbreak, which reduced broadcast and matchday revenue, although it also resulted in commercial venue growth. Deloitte did not include Newcastle in its list, but the club’s takeover by Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund has the potential to take them to the top.
In October, the sovereign wealth fund paid £300 million ($408 million) for the Premier League club, with PCP Capital Partners and RB Sports & Media each buying a 10% interest. The PIF is reported to have approximately $430 billion in assets, making Newcastle one of the world’s wealthiest teams and potentially increasing revenue opportunities.
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Top 20 richest clubs:
1.) Barcelona
Shareholder: Club members
Value: $4.76 billion
Revenue (2020): $792 million (€715.1m)
Operating Income (2020): $62.2 million
Barcelona’s title as the world’s richest club has been overshadowed by their €1.2 billion (£1.1 billion/$1.5 billion) debt, as well as the revelation that Lionel Messi’s pay is €555 million (£491 million/$674 million). The Catalan club was reported to owe other teams a total of €126 million (£112 million/$153 million), which stems from many transfer agreements conducted over several years, including those for Philippe Coutinho, Frenkie de Jong, and Arthur.
2.) Real Madrid
Shareholder: Club members
Club Value: $4.75 billion
Club Revenue as of 2020: $792 million
The Club’s Operating Income as of 2020: $92 million
3.) Bayern Munich
Shareholder: Club members
Club Value: $4.215billion
Club Revenue as of 2020: $703 million
The Club’s Operating Income as of 2020: $49.2 million
4.) Manchester United
Shareholder: Glazer family
Club Value: $4.2 billion
Club Revenue as of 2020: $643 million
The Club’s Operating Income as of 2020: $166.6 million
5.) Liverpool
Shareholder: John Henry and Tom Werner
Club Value: $4.1 billion
Club Revenue as of 2020: $619 million
The Club’s Operating Income as of 2020: $61.9 million
6.) Manchester City
Shareholder: Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan
Club Value: $4 billion
Club Revenue as of 2020: $609 million
The Club’s Operating Income as of 2020: -$2 million
7.) Chelsea
Shareholder: Roman Abramovich
Club Value: $3.2 billion
Club Revenue as of 2020: $520 million
The Club’s Operating Income as of 2020: $34.7 million
8.) Arsenal
Shareholder: E. Stanley Kroenke
Club Value: $2.8 billion
Club Revenue as of 2020: $430 million
The Club’s Operating Income as of 2020: $47.3 million
9.) Paris Saint-Germain
Shareholder: Qatar Sports Investments
Club Value: $2.5 billion
Club Revenue as of 2020: $599 million
The Club’s Operating Income as of 2020: -$4.5 million
10.) Tottenham Hotspur
Shareholder: Joseph Lewis, Daniel Levy
Club Value: $2.3 billion
Club Revenue as of 2020: $494 million
The Club’s Operating Income as of 2020: -$134.2 million
11.) Juventus
Shareholder: Agnelli family
Club Value: $1.95 billion
Club Revenue as of 2020: $441 million
The Club’s Operating Income as of 2020: -$14 million
12.) Borussia Dortmund
Shareholder: Bernd Geske, Evonik Industries
Club Value: $1.9 billion
Club Revenue as of 2020: $405 million
The Club’s Operating Income as of 2020: -$15.1 million
13.) Atletico de Madrid
Shareholder: Miguel Gil, Enrique Cerezo
Club Value: $1 billion
Club Revenue as of 2020: $368 million
The Club’s Operating Income as of 2020: -$61.7 million
14.) Inter Milan
Shareholder: Zhang Jindong, LionRock Capital
Club Value: $743 million
Club Revenue as of 2020: $323 million
The Club’s Operating Income as of 2020: -$13.1 million
15.) Everton
Shareholder: Farhad Moshiri
Club Value: $658 million
Club Revenue as of 2020: $235 million
The Club’s Operating Income as of 2020: -$15 million
16.) AC Milan
Shareholder: Elliott Management
Club Value: $559 million
Club Revenue as of 2020: $165 million
The Club’s Operating Income as of 2020: -$92.4 million
17.) AS Roma
Shareholder: Dan Friedkin
Club Value: $548 million
Club Revenue as of 2020: $156 million
The Club’s Operating Income as of 2020: -$108.4 million
18.) West Ham United
Shareholder: David Sullivan, David Gold
Club Value: $508 million
Club Revenue as of 2020: $156 million
The Club’s Operating Income as of 2020: -$24.2 million
19.) Leicester City
Shareholder: Khun Aiyawatt Srivaddhanaprabha
Club Value: $455 million
Club Revenue as of 2020: $156 million
The Club’s Operating Income as of 2020: -$49.3 million
20.) Ajax
Shareholder: Club members
Club Value: $413 million
Club Revenue as of 2020: $172 million
The Club’s Operating Income as of 2020: $1.7 million
The world’s 20 most expensive football teams are worth an average of $2.28 billion each, up 30% from the last time we reviewed the ranking two years ago. Despite a revenue drop due to low attendance during the pandemic, buyers are focusing on what they view as still untapped revenue potential in the sport’s vast global following.
For the 2019-20 season, the average revenue for the 20 teams was $441 million, down 9.6% from 2017-18, and average operating income was $23 million, down 70% from 2017-18. The suffering is far from done, with a further drop in match-day revenue this season as most teams in Europe’s major leagues still allow only a small number of spectators to attend games.
