LONDON: LaLiga giants Real Madrid have regained their place as the highest-earning team in world football in the latest edition of the Deloitte Football Money League.
The Champions League winners, who made record revenues of €750.9 million ($854.6m), returned to first place in the Money League for the first time since 2014/15, posting the second-highest lead over second place (FC Barcelona) in Money League history (€60.5m).
Overall, the 20 highest earning football clubs in the world generated a record €8.3 billion (£7.4bn) of combined revenue in 2017/18, an increase of 6% on the previous year.
Published just eight months after the end of the 2017/18 season, the key findings of this edition of the Money League are:
*Real Madrid become the first club to generate more than €750m and regain their place as the highest revenue generating club in world football, making it a record twelfth time at the top;
*The top 20 highest earning football clubs for the 2017/18 season, with combined revenues growing 6% to €8.3bn, a new record;
*FC Barcelona climb one place to second, making it a Spanish one-two at the top of the Money League, whilst Manchester United slip to third;
*Tottenham Hotspur make it into the top 10 for only the second time, having last appeared in 2006/07. A record six English clubs feature in the top 10.
Deloitte based their survey of the top 20 earning clubs in Europe on the annual financial statements of the company or group running each club, or other direct sources, covering the 2017/18 season.
Dan Jones, partner in the Sports Business Group at Deloitte, 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," he added.
Second placed Barcelona had earnings of €690.4 million, up from €648.3 million in the previous year.
Manchester United, who topped last year's table, saw their revenue calculation fall slightly to €666 million euros from €676.3 million.
Football finance expert Rob Wilson, of Sheffield Hallam University, told reuters that United's drop to third in the rankings was expected.
He said, "This was predictable mainly due to the timing of commercial and sponsorship renewals. The big ticket items; shirt manufacturing and shirt sponsorship being renewed and improving the overall position of a number of clubs."
"MUFC don't go back to the negotiating table for a while yet. Expect them to stay off the top spot for a good few years yet, particularly with a possible reduction in matchday revenue if they miss out on qualification to the Champions League," he added.
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