Real Madrid has made history by becoming the first football club to generate more than €1bn (£844m) in revenue within a single season. This significant increase in financial power has set them apart from their major European rivals.
According to the latest Deloitte Football Money League report, Real Madrid generated an impressive €1.046bn (£883m) during the 2023-24 season. This substantial increase was largely due to match-day revenue doubling to €248m following renovations at Bernabéu and a 19% surge in commercial revenue. The club ended the season on a high note, winning the Champions League, La Liga, and Spanish Super Cup.
Manchester City followed closely behind as second highest earner with revenues of €838m (£708m), while Paris Saint-Germain ranked third with earnings of €806m (£681m). Manchester United came fourth with revenues amounting to €771m (£651m). Notably, this is the widest gap between first- and second-placed teams ever recorded by Deloitte over its 28-year history of compiling this list.
Premier League clubs dominate the list
The top 20 revenue-generating clubs collectively made a record-breaking total of £9.46bn (€11.2bn) during the same season - marking a 6% increase from previous year's cumulative revenues. Bayern Munich secured fifth place on this prestigious list while Barcelona dropped down to sixth position due largely to playing away from Camp Nou while their home stadium undergoes redevelopment.
Premier League clubs dominated nine out of twenty spots on this list:
- Arsenal (7th)
- Liverpool (8th)
- Spurs (9th)
- Chelsea (10th)
Newcastle, West Ham and Aston Villa also featured on this list at positions 15th, 17th and 18th respectively.
Deloitte's report also highlighted that match-day revenue accounted for a greater share of clubs’ revenue – 18% – than it had since the 2014-15 season. Arsenal and Liverpool saw significant increases in their match-day revenues by £21m and £24m respectively. However, City’s and United’s revenues only increased slightly, by £4m and £840,000 respectively. Spurs experienced a decline of £9m in a season when they were without European football.
Barcelona lead the way in women’s football
For the third consecutive year, Barcelona topped the list in women's football with €17.93m (£15m) in revenue - marking an impressive increase of 26% from the previous season. Arsenal followed closely behind with revenues amounting to €17.88m while Chelsea, Manchester United and Real Madrid rounded off the top five.
These figures highlight not only the financial prowess of these clubs but also their ability to generate substantial income through various streams such as match-day earnings and commercial revenue - setting new records for future seasons to aspire towards.
