Manchester City has led the football Money league for the first time in 2020/21 with a revenue of €644.9 million, displacing Manchester United for the first time as the highest earning English football club. This comes as the richest football clubs earned €4.6 billion in Broadcast revenue, a €1.4 billion increase from 2019/20.
This was disclosed by Deloitte in its Football Money League Deloitte Sports Business Group report for March 2022, published on Sunday.
According to the firm, the 2022 Money League welcomes four new entrants, all of which are Premier League clubs, including Wolves, while Aston Villa returns after a-10 year absence.
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How Manchester City emerged
Manchester City top the Money League for first time with revenue of £571.1million (€644.9million), becoming only the fourth club to ever top the Money League.
Manchester City, Real Madrid, Bayern Munich, Paris Saint-Germain and Juventus were the highest revenue generating clubs in each of Europe’s ‘big five’ leagues. While there was no change at the top in Germany, France, or Italy, there was a shift in England and Spain.
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What Deloite is saying about revenue:
Deloite revealed that COVID-19 impacted not only the Money League’s total revenue but its total revenue profile., adding that Some revenue streams accounted for a more significant portion of total revenue than usual, while others faded into near inexistence, as Manchester City has become only the fourth club to top the Money League. Only two leagues have managed to produce Money League title holders: La Liga (Spain) and the Premier League (England).
It stated, “Average revenue of Money League clubs was €409m in 2020/21, a marginal increase on the 2019/20 season thanks to broadcast deferrals, but a 12% decrease on the 2018/19 season due to the absence of fans on match days.”
It added that Elite club football has been buffeted by two years of financial turbulence due to the impact of COVID-19, but is emerging having demonstrated resilience and continued underlying growth underpinned by the global love for these great institutions and the entertainment they provide.
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“Manchester City top the Money League for first time with revenue of £571.1m (€644.9m), becoming only the fourth club to ever top the Money League.
“Manchester City, Real Madrid, Bayern Munich, Paris Saint-Germain and Juventus were the highest revenue generating clubs in each of Europe’s ‘big five’ leagues. While there was no change at the top in Germany, France, or Italy, there was a shift in England and Spain,” it added.
On Aggregate revenue, the report revealed that clubs averaged:
- Average revenue of Money League clubs was €409m in 2020/21, a marginal increase on the 2019/20 season thanks to broadcast deferrals, but a 12% decrease on the 2018/19 season due to the absence of fans on matchdays.
- €111 million in Match day revenue, the lowest ever in Money League history owing to the absence of fans in stadia.
- €4.6 billion in Broadcast revenue, a €1.4bn increase from 2019/20, largely due to the deferrals of distributions relating to the completion of the 2019/20 season.
- €3.5 billion in Commercial revenue, a 7% (€261m) decrease from the record high of 2019/20 (€3.8bn), which is not as significant as many had forecast.
- €8.2 billion total revenue generated by this year’s Money League clubs, up less than 1% from 2019/20, but still over €1bn lower than in 2018/19 (€9.3bn).
- A slight decline in on-pitch performance from the previous two seasons’ highs saw Liverpool (€550.4m) fall two places to seventh in this year’s Money League, whilst Chelsea’s UEFA Champions League triumph ensured they retained eighth position (€493.1m).
- Despite an ever-changing economic environment, the top 14 clubs in this year’s Money League are consistent, but in a slightly rearranged order for the fourth successive year. Notably, this includes 11 of the 12 proposed European Super League founders (excluding AC Milan), with Bayern Munich, Borussia Dortmund and Paris Saint-Germain not amongst the original participants.
The top 20 highest earning clubs:
- Manchester City, had a 2021 revenue of €644.9million, compared to €549.2million in 2020 with 48% coming from commercial revenue, at €308.2million and 52% from broadcast revenue at €335.9million
- Real Madrid earned 2021 revenue of €640.7million compared to 2020 revenue of €691.8million
- Bayern earned a 2021 revenue of €611.4million comapred with €634.1million of 2020 revenue.
- FC Barcelona €582.1 million
- Manchester United: € 558 million
- PSG: €556.2 million
- Liverpool: €550.4 million
- Chelsea: € 493.1 million
- Juventus: €433.5 million
- Tottenham: €406.2 million
- Arsenal: €366.5 million
- Borussia Dortmund: €337.6 million
- Atletico Madrid: €332.8 million
- Inter Milan: €330.9 million
- Leicester City: €255.5 million
- West Ham: €221.5 million
- Wolverhampton Wanderers: €219.2 million.
- Everton: €218.1 million
- FC Zenit: €212 million
- Aston Villa: €207.3 million.