24 Jan, 2019 13:26

Rolling in it: Real Madrid overtake Man Utd to regain place as world’s richest club

Real Madrid and Barcelona are the two richest football clubs in the world, leapfrogging English giants Manchester United, according to a list published by accountants Deloitte.

Real Madrid topped the list of the world's richest football clubs with 2017 revenues of $866.8 million, while La Liga rivals Barcelona are in second place, with $796.9 million.

It is the first time since 2014/15 that two Spanish sides have topped the rich list, with Premier League giants Manchester United figuring prominently at the sharp end over recent years.

However, United have dropped to third place, with revenues of $768.8 million.

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Premier League clubs continued to dominate the list, with English sides occupying six of the Top 10 spots in the rankings.

"The substantial presence of Premier League clubs continues to be felt in this year's Deloitte Football Money League," said Deloitte spokesman Sam Boor.

"However, with the Premier League's tender for the next cycle of domestic rights from 2019-20 complete and sale of overseas rights nearing conclusion, it is clear that Premier League clubs will be unable to rely on explosive growth in broadcast distributions as a source of future growth, as has been the case in recent years.

"As a result, we expect an even greater emphasis among these clubs on generating their own growth in the coming season, and in particular the optimization of commercial revenue, which has been a key area for differentiating growth across most of Europe's leading clubs in recent years."

The Top 10 also features representatives from Germany's Bundesliga (Bayern Munich, 4th) and France's Ligue Un (Paris Saint-Germain, 6th). The highest-ranked team from Italy's Serie A, Juventus, came in just outside the Top 10, in 11th place.

Head of Deloitte's sports business group, Dan Jones, said: "Real Madrid's outstanding financial performance in 2017-18 is built on their long history of success on the pitch, most recently three consecutive Champions League titles.

"This has enabled the club to continue to drive commercial revenue as the appetite to partner with Europe's most successful clubs remains stronger than ever."