Real Madrid the first club to earn billions of euros in revenue in a season. football news
The LaLiga giants remain top of the Football Money League ahead of Manchester City and PSG, while Manchester United has moved up to fourth.
Real Madrid is the first football club to top one billion euros in revenue during a season, according to accountancy firm Deloitte, driven by income generated by the renovated Santiago Bernabéu stadium.
The order of clubs at the top of Deloitte’s annual football money league remained the same, with Madrid following with 1.05 billion euros ($1.09 billion), followed by Premier League champions Manchester City ($872m) and Paris Saint-Germain ($839m).
The $216 million difference between first and second is the largest ever recorded by Deloitte.
The dramatic renovation of the home of Real Madrid is expected to double matchday revenues to $258 million in the 2023-24 campaign.
Madrid has borrowed a total of more than $1 billion since 2018 to renovate the Bernabéu, with the aim of turning it into a major source of revenue.
The state-of-the-art venue now features an undulating metal roof, shops, expanded VIP areas and a retractable pitch.
Pop megastar Taylor Swift is among the big names who have performed at the stadium since its reopening, while the NFL’s first game in Spain will take place there later this year.
However, Madrid’s aim of using the approximately 80,000-capacity Bernabeu to generate additional cash has been hit by noise pollution complaints from residents, with the club temporarily suspending hosting concerts.
“Club stadiums are becoming more than just matchday assets, with many clubs converting their grounds into multi-use entertainment venues that attract new visitors, sponsors and retail opportunities.” said Tim Bridges, principal partner of Deloitte Sports Business Group.
“Football clubs are now realizing the importance of becoming more than sporting brands, connecting media and entertainment with the commercial potential they offer.”
Despite an 11 per cent increase in matchday revenue, commercial remained the largest revenue source for the 20 Money League clubs for the second consecutive year, accounting for 44 per cent of total revenue.
Broadcast revenue was flat at 4.4 billion euros ($4.6 billion) as each of the “Big Five” leagues – England, Spain, Italy, France and Germany – remained in the same domestic broadcast cycle as last season.
English clubs continue to dominate, driven by the television revenues of the Premier League, with six of the top 10 and nine of the 20 money league clubs.
Manchester United moved up to fourth place ahead of Bayern Munich ($796 million) thanks to their return to the Champions League ($802 million).
Barcelona slipped to sixth as renovation work at their Camp Nou stadium forced the Catalan giants to move to smaller Montjuic, which hosted the 1992 Olympics.
Arsenal, Liverpool, Tottenham and Chelsea complete the top 10, although the latter three clubs missed the Champions League last season.
Barcelona continues to top the list of women’s teams for the third consecutive year with revenues of $18.6 million, a 26 percent increase from the 2022-23 season.
Arsenal Women ($17.9 million) are in second place, followed by Chelsea ($13.9 million), Manchester United ($11.1 million) and Real Madrid ($10.9 million).
