Deloitte’s Football Money League report, which covers the highest revenue-generating soccer clubs, found that the top 20 combined for $9 billion in revenue during the 2020-21 season.
In soccer’s first full season since the start of the pandemic, teams saw revenue grow 1% from the season prior, but nowhere near the $10.3 billion brought in during the 2018-19 season.
For the first time ever, Manchester City jumped five spots to become the top earner on the list, bringing in $711.3 million. And for the first time, it landed ahead of Manchester United, which brought in the fifth-highest revenue at $615.5 million.
- Real Madrid took second, recording revenue of $706.7 million.
- Bayern Munich was third with $674.4 million in revenue.
- Barcelona, which topped last year’s list, dropped to fourth with $642.1 million.
The Wolverhampton Wanderers made the list for the first time with $241.8 million in revenue, and Aston Villa made its first appearance on the list in 10 years with $228.7 million.
Soccer Segments
The Premier League took over the list with 11 clubs, La Liga placed three, Serie A and the Bundesliga had two each, and Ligue 1 and the Russian Premier League ended with one each.
Average revenue for the teams dropped 12% from 2018-19 to $451.1 million, with matchday revenue at $122.4 million, the lowest in the study’s history. Deloitte says clubs may have missed out on more than $2.2 billion during the last two seasons.
