Liverpool overtakes Manchester United as Real Madrid remains top earner

Real Madrid Tops Deloitte’s Football Money League for Fifth Consecutive Year

Real Madrid has maintained its position as the top earner in world football, with €1.16 billion ($1.36bn) in revenue during the 2024-25 season, according to Deloitte’s annual Financial League. The Spanish club surpassed Barcelona and Bayern Munich to claim the top spot for the fifth consecutive year.

Barcelona followed closely behind with €975 million ($1.14m), while Bayern Munich ranked third with €861 million ($1.09bn). Paris St-Germain secured fourth place with €837 million ($981.5m).

In a notable shift, Liverpool has jumped to fifth place in the global money list, with €836 million ($980.4m) of revenues from the season they won the Premier League. This marks the strongest performance by any English club in the 29-year history of the rankings.

Manchester United, who finished 15th in the Premier League last season, fell to eighth place in revenues with €793 million ($929.7m). The club’s revenue outlook for the current season is expected to worsen due to their absence from European competition and early exits from the FA Cup and League Cup.

Deloitte noted that Manchester United’s matchday revenue was once the industry leader, but now faces increased competition from other clubs. The firm also highlighted the rise of Saudi Pro League clubs and Inter Miami from Major League Soccer as potential challengers to Europe’s financial hegemony in the future.

The top 20 clubs saw a 11% increase in revenue to €12.4 billion ($14.5bn), with commercial income rising by 11% to €5.3 billion ($6.2bn). Matchday revenue grew 16%, while broadcast revenue rose 10%.

Source: Al Jazeera