Deloitte have released their latest Football Money League numbers which rank the most lucrative football clubs in 2021 – and here’s who make the list.
Deloitte have published the 2021 Football Money League, which analyses the finances of the clubs which generate the highest revenue.
The latest findings showed that the top 20 clubs, all based in Europe, manage to accrue a combined €8.2 billion (£7.2b/$9.9m) during the 2019-20 season.
It was a 12 per cent decrease from the prior season (€9.3 billion) – no doubt owing to the disruption caused by the Covid-19 pandemic, which impacted a fall in broadcast and matchday revenue – but also resulted in an increase in commercial venue.
Which club is the richest in the world?
Barcelona were named the world’s richest football club in 2021 according to the Deloitte rankings, retaining a slight margin ahead of Spanish rivals Real Madrid despite having a revenue fall of €125 million (£110m/$150m) to €715m (£628m/$861m) in 2019-20.
They both hold a substantial lead ahead of the rest of the table, and dominate the table comfortably.
Bayern are ranked in third and are in front of Manchester United, named the richest English side.
They are followed immediately by the likes of Liverpool and Manchester City, with Paris Saint-Germain slotting into seventh.
The top 10 richest clubs are dominated by five Premier League clubs, including Chelsea and Tottenham, while Arsenal are placed at 11th in the table, with Everton 17th.
The rest of the table is rounded out by Borussia Dortmund, Inter, Atletico Madrid, Zenit Saint-Petersburg and other big European names.
Barcelona’s status as the richest club in the world, however, has been overshadowed by their €1.2 billion (£1.1b/$1.5b) debtalongside the revelation that Lionel Messi’s salary is at €555 million (£491m/$674m).
The Catalan side were found to be owing a total of €126 million (£112m/$153m) to other clubs, which is rooted from several transfer deals that the club made over the course of several years – including deals for Phiippe Coutinho, Frenkie de Jong and Arthur.
You can view the full rankings with the total revenue (broadcast, matchday and commercial) below.
Deloitte 2021 Football Money League rankings: The world’s top 20 richest football clubs Ranking
Team Total revenue
1. Barcelona €715.1m
2. Real Madrid €714.9m
3. Bayern Munich €634.1m
4. Manchester United €580.4m
5. Liverpool €558.6m
6. Manchester City €549.2m
7. Paris Saint-Germain €540.6m
8. Chelsea €469.7m
9. Tottenham €445.7m
10. Juventus €397.9m
11. Arsenal €388m
12. Borussia Dortmund €365.7m
13. Atletico Madrid €331.8m
14 Inter €291.5m
15 Zenit Saint-Petersburg €236.5m
16 Schalke €222.8m
17 Everton €212m
18 Lyon €180.7m
19 Napoli €176.3m
20 Eintracht Frankfurt €174m
Olalekan Ajimoti – Blogger, Content Writer, and Digital Marketer helping brands and retailers build 8-figure e-commerce since 2016.
As a corporate trainer, brand communications expert, and brand consultant, I help people start, stay and grow in business leveraging digital skills and traditional expertise.
