Real Madrid leads footballs wealthiest list with Liverpool rising

Real Madrid maintained their position at the summit of footballs wealthiest rankings, while Liverpool surpassed their English competitors for the initial occasion, as revealed by Deloitte's Money League report on Thursday.

The Spanish powerhouse amassed almost 1.2 billion euros ($1.4 billion) in earnings during the 2024/25 campaign, even without securing any significant honours.

The ongoing transformation of the Santiago Bernabeu into a versatile facility keeps delivering substantial benefits. Madrid's commercial earnings of 594 million euros would secure a spot in the top 10 independently.

Barcelona returned to second in Deloitte's rankings (975 million euros), notwithstanding setbacks that required them to host the entire season elsewhere due to the Camp Nou redevelopment.

Bayern Munich secured third place (861 million euros), just ahead of Paris Saint-Germain, whose figures received a lift from clinching the Champions League for the first time.

The remainder of the top 10 features predominantly Premier League sides, with Liverpool heading the English group initially.

An upgrade to Anfield, coupled with re-entering the Champions League and claiming the Premier League crown, elevated the Reds' income to 836 million euros.

Manchester City and Manchester United both declined in the standings.

Pep Guardiola's City dropped from second to sixth following a premature Champions League departure and a third position in the Premier League after four straight victories.

United fell behind Arsenal to eighth, having bypassed Champions League qualification and ending 15th in the Premier League.

Collectively, the 20 highest-grossing European clubs saw an 11 percent revenue growth, reaching 12.4 billion euros.

"It comes as no surprise that teams in the upper portion of the table possess the capacity to emphasise commercial expansion, especially with domestic broadcasting deals stabilising," stated Tim Bridge, principal partner in the Deloitte Sports Business Group.

"A crucial evolution in certain club operations involves greater attention to enhancing their brand influence and stadium resources.

"Incorporating on-site brewing facilities, hotels, and dining options has become standard, highlighting a deliberate effort to broaden revenue streams and establish all-year entertainment hubs."

The inaugural 32-team Club World Cup influenced results, propelling Bayern into the top three for the first time since 2020/21, whereas Benfica, at 19th on the 20-club roster, marks the initial non-participant from beyond the major five leagues of England, Spain, Germany, Italy, and France in four years.

Arsenal emerged as the top-grossing womens team initially, post their Champions League triumph.

The Gunners, generating 25.6 million euros, narrowly outpaced London foes Chelsea and Barcelona.