Gold Magazine March - April 2013, Issue 24 | Página 14

up front

Europe’s

Richest

Football Clubs

E

urope may be mired in a
recession and austerity but the
continent’s biggest football clubs
are continuing to look recessionproof. Combined income
among the top 10 clubs in 2011-2012 rose
by 10% on the previous season to €4.8
billion, according to the recently-published

3

1
1 Real Madrid

€512.6 million

2

Real Madrid heads the list of Europe’s richest clubs for the
eighth year and is the first to produce total revenue of more than
€500 million. Broadcast revenue was up 9% in 2011/12, to
€199.2 million and commercial revenue also increased by 9%,
demonstrating the power of the brand. Matchday revenue rose
2% to €126.2 million, a figure expected to increase substantially
in the future as the club plans to develop the Santiago
5 Chelsea
Bernabaeu stadium.
2 Barcelona

€483 million

Barcelona managed to increase its overall revenue by 7% and
this growth was almost entirely due to commercial factors,
as its shirt sponsorship deal with Qatar Sports Investments
took hold. Broadcast revenue fell by 2% despite an increased
domestic rights deal, while match day revenue was up 5% to
€116.3 million. Although the Nou Camp stadium capacity is over
90,000, the Catalan club has fallen behind Arsenal into fourth
place in terms of matchday income.
3 Manchester United

€395.9 million

Manchester United is the highest-ranked English side despite
total revenue declining in 2011-12. A 3% fall is primarily down
to losing its Premier League title to rivals Manchester City and
falling early in the Champions League and the FA Cup. The
club’s poor Champions League performance contributed to an
11% decrease in both broadcast revenue (to €128.5 million)
and matchday income (to €122 million). Victory in the current
Premier League championship will doubtless reverse the trend.
4 Bayern Munich

€368.4 million

Reaching the domestic cup and Champions League finals
and finishing second in the Bundesliga helped overall revenue
increase by 15%. The Champions League run was the biggest
factor in a 19% rise in matchday revenue (the final was
played in its home stadium) and an €11.2 million increase in
broadcasting income. Commercial revenue continues to make
up over half of overall income. Bayern is the first side to earn
over €200 million through commercial activity.

16th edition of the Deloitte Football Money
League which profiles the highest-earning
clubs in the world’s most popular sport.
Deloitte calculates the total revenue of each
club through a combination of matchday
income, broadcasting and commercial deals.
The rankings are based on revenue for the
2011-2012 season.

€322.6 million

4

6

5

Chelsea maintains its place among Europe’s richest clubs
thanks to its on-field success last season. The team’s European
Champions League win contributed significantly to an overall
revenue increase of €14%, as it meant matchday and broadcast
revenues were both up 15%. The increase comes despite
matchday income being restricted by the capacity of the
Stamford Bridge stadium which, at 42,000, means it cannot
compete with the likes of Arsenal and Manchester United in this
area.
6 Arsenal

€290.3 million

Arsenal’s financial results reflected its on-pitch performance,
which remained virtually the same as the previous season. Total
revenue rose 4% while individual streams were fairly constant
from 2010-11. Arsenal’s matchday revenue contributes most
to its total income among the top ten clubs – €117 million. It
remains in 6th place because its on-field results have stagnated,
preventing broadcast revenues from increasing. Commercial
revenues increased slightly to €64.9 million but much less than
Manchester United’s €130 million.
7 Manchester City

€285.6 million

The English champions make the Top Ten for the first time,
courtesy of a 51% increase in revenue. City’s first league title in
44 years and its first foray into the Champions League helped
increase revenue. Commercial income provided €138.5 million,
almost double the previous year’s figure. The Champions
League campaign brought in €27.8 million in broadcast
income, compared to just €6.1 million the previous year, when it
competed in the lower-level Europa League.

14 Gold the international investment, finance & professional services magazine of cyprus

7
9

10

8
8 AC Milan

€256.9 million

Silvio Berlusconi’s top-ranked Italian club saw its income rise by
9% thanks to a significant improvement in broadcasting revenue
due to its best performance in the Champions League in five
years. But while the San Siro Stadium has double the capacity of
Chelsea’s Stamford Bridge, it earned one third of the revenue. The
exodus of star players is unlikely to help attendance figures and
Milan may struggle to hold off Juventus as Italy’s financial leader.
9 Liverpool

€233.2 million

Liverpool remains in the top ten, despite a poor season on the
pitch. Total revenue increased by just 3% as the club’s domestic
cup participation offset the financial hit caused by its absence
from European competition. By winning the League Cup and
reaching the final of the FA Cup, it increased matchday revenue by
11% to €55.9 million. New sponsorship deals have contributed to
a 4% increase in commercial revenue to almost €100 million.
10 Juventus

€195.4 million

Italy’s most successful club recaptured the league title in 2011-12,
helping to fire it back into the money league’s Top Ten. Its first
title since 2002-3 helped total revenue increase by 27% despite
its absence from the Champions League in 2010-11. A significant
increase in matchday revenue made up for the absence of
the broadcasting income that Europe’s premier competition
generates. This season’s return to the Champions League should
propel them further up the list next year.