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The world's most beautiful game is also the world's most popular sport. Clubs in Europe have legions of fans even halfway across the world, staying wide awake late into the night to catch their favourite football teams in action.
The global appeal of the sport translates well in a financial sense. It takes a whole lot more than just good performances on the pitch to keep a football club running at top gear season after season. As such, generating healthy revenue streams are paramount to staying afloat in the business.
On that note, let's take a look at the 5 richest football clubs in the world in terms of revenue generated.
(Figures courtesy: Deloitte's Football Money League)
#5 Paris Saint-Germain - €635.9 million
The French champions, who have been transformed after being taken over by the Qatar Sports Investments, rank 5th on the list of the clubs that generate the most revenue.
Paris Saint-Germain are the most popular Ligue 1 club and that is, in no small part, thanks to the financial backing they have received from their owners. As a result, they have been able to sign great and popular players like Neymar and Kylian Mbappe.
Last year, Paris Saint-Germain signed deals with 5 new partners and extended their contracts with 6 global brands to keep the business running smoothly.
PSG have been innovators in the financial realm with their tie-up with Nike Jordan in particular being welcomed by their fanbase. Paris Saint-Germain would feel hard done to have missed out on the coveted Champions League trophy this time around as it is the only thing that's stopping them from growing into the juggernaut that they look set to become.
#4 Bayern Munich - €660.1 million
The champions of Europe and continental treble winners Bayern Munich are 4th on the list. Under the tutelage of Hans-Dieter Flick, the Bavarians are looking unstoppable. Bayern continue to sit at the 4th place but they have seen a rise close to 20% in broadcast revenue.
They are expected to close the gap with 3rd placed Manchester United now that they have had a triumphant Champions League campaign and because the Red Devils hadn't qualified for it in the 2019-20 season.
The clubs will have definitely taken a hit with the Covid pandemic causing all games to be played behind closed doors and no matchday revenue available. However, Bayern Munich continue to conduct business both on the pitch and off it incredibly well and it won't be surprising to see them break into the top 3 next year.
#3 Manchester United - €711.5 million
The Red Devils might not retain their place on the podium next season seeing as how Bayern Munich will have benefitted financially at the end of an extremely successful 2019-20 season. But for now, Manchester United are 3rd.
One of the most admired clubs in the world, Manchester United are the richest club in terms of revenue in England. This is exactly why the United fans are getting restless due to the apparent inactivity in the transfer window.
Though Ed Woodward might not be the best man to take care of the footballing side of things, he is excellent at driving the club forward strictly from a business perspective. Manchester United have thus been able to improve their revenue despite the team struggling on the pitch.
However, a lack of Champions League football in the 2019-20 season is expected to cause them to stutter a bit. But they have now qualified for Europe's elite competition for the 2020-21 season and look set to continue being a financial powerhouse.
#2 Real Madrid - €757.3 million
Real Madrid dropped a spot and moved to second on the list of the richest clubs in the world and Cristiano Ronaldo's departure to Juventus definitely had an impact on the club's revenue.
Following Ronaldo's departure, Real Madrid have now failed to make it past the Round of 16 of the UEFA Champions League in successive seasons. However, they were able to pip Barcelona to the league title this term and that will definitely help.
The club has extended its partnership with Adidas and this is expected to give them a boost too. Real Madrid are the most followed club on social media and will be looking to innovate and diversify in these challenging times to keep being successful at the highest level in all respects.
#1 Barcelona - €840.8 million
It's for the first time that Barcelona made it to the top of the list but we are not sure if they are going to stay there after a nightmarish end to their 2019-20 season. The impending departure of Lionel Messi is expected to impact them massively and we are not sure if the Cules are prepared for something like that.
Other than that, Barcelona have remained prepared and eager to evolve with the changing market conditions and have remained focus on diversifying and internationalizing their sources of revenue.
As such, they have been less reliant on broadcast revenue and more on sources that are within their control. They had brought their licensing and merchandising operations in-house and this autonomity has been particularly fruitful for the club, generating €63 million for the club and this figure is expected to rise after the recently concluded season.
However, due to the unfortunate phase that Barcelona are going through, they might just miss out on the opportunity of becoming the first €1 billion club.
