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Top 10 Richest Football Clubs In The World 2023

Top 10 Richest Football Clubs In The World 2023

Of the top 10 richest football clubs in the world; 6 are from the Premier League, 2 from La Liga, 1 from the Bundesliga and 1 from Ligue 1.

Football is a lucrative venture that generates lots of money. The round-leather game has evolved into one of the biggest money-spinning industries in the world.

Majorly, football clubs generate their revenue from three sources, which are: Matchday, Broadcast and Commercial revenues.

Matchday revenue comprises of tickets and merchandise sales as well as other marketing services rendered to fans during games.

Broadcast revenue is collected by clubs for TV rights for matches to be broadcasted, while commercial revenue is made from sponsorship deals and partnerships.

The Deloitte Football Money League (DFML) is the most contemporary and reliable independent analysis of the financial performance of football clubs on the planet.

In this article, FootballOrbit will use data from the DFML to rank the top 10 richest football clubs in the world in 2023.

Background

The Covid-19 pandemic terribly affected the finances of football clubs. But there have been gradual recovery in the post-covid era, especially with the return of fans to stadiums.

According to the DFML, the total revenue for the top 20 revenue generating clubs in 2021/22 was €9.2 billion, a 13% increase to the €8.2 billion reported in 2020/21.

The rise was significantly driven by the return of fans after two COVID-hit seasons, with matchday revenue increasing from €111m in 2020/21 to €1.4 billion in 2021/22.

Additionally, commercial revenue rose by 8% (from €3.5 billion to €3.8 billion) — which was majorly led by English clubs.

Moreso, more than half of the top 20 clubs (11 of 20) are from England — highlighting the financial superiority of the Premier League.

And the revenue superiority of English clubs is unlikely to be challenged in the nearest future. The big question is now when will it be before we see all 20 Premier League clubs in the top 30 richest football clubs in the world?

Driven by demand from international broadcasters, the Premier League saw the total value of its media rights increase. Its international rights value rises by €422m per season.

Soccer powerhouses, Barcelona and Real Madrid, are yet to recover revenue to their pre-pandemic levels. Both clubs’ revenues were down €203m and €43m respectively from 2018/19.

Of the top 10 richest football clubs in the world; 6 are from the Premier League, 2 from La Liga, 1 from the Bundesliga and 1 from Ligue 1.

Furthermore, 3 English teams feature in the top five, while Barcelona (who were the richest club in 2021) have terribly fallen to 7th in the latest ranking.

1. Manchester City (€731m)

Man City - Richest football clubs in the world 2023

Manchester City retain their position at the top of the Deloitte Football Money League (DFML), and for the second time, were the richest football club in the world.

City made €731m (£619.1m) last year, a 13% increase on the €644.9m (£571.1m) made the previous year.

€373m was generated from commercial deals, €294m from broadcast rights and €64m from matchday revenue.

This represents a rapid rise for the club, who only broke into the top 5 richest clubs for the first time in 2015/16.

Moreover, Man City’s massive financial growth in terms of commercial revenue (up €65m to €373m in 2021/22) is a new Premier League record.

Pep Guardiola’s side won the English Premier League and reached the semi-finals of the UEFA Champions League last season.

2. Real Madrid (€713.8m)

Real Madrid made €713.8m (£604.5m) in 2022, which is an 11% increase to the €640.7m (£567.3m) made in 2021.

Breaking it down; €318m was generated from commercial deals, €308m from broadcast, while €88m was from matchday revenue.

On the pitch, Real Madrid won the La Liga and the UEFA Champions League in 2022.

3. Liverpool (€701.7m)

In 2022, Liverpool made €701.7m (£594.3m). It represented a 27% increase to the €550.4m (£487.4m) generated the previous year.

The Reds rose four places (from 7th to 3rd) on the richest football clubs list. And in doing so, they overtook Manchester United for the first time ever.

Jurgen Klopp’s men reached the UEFA Champions League final in 2022, losing to Real Madrid.

In the last one year, Liverpool made €275m from commercial deals and €314m from TV rights.

Furthermore, they raked in €112m in matchday revenue. It was the first time the club had done so, as fans massively returned to stadiums.

In fact, Liverpool’s revenue from matchday is expected to increase further in coming years — with the expansion of the Anfield Road Stand due to be completed ahead of the 2023/24 season.

4. Manchester United (€688.6m)

Top 10 richest football clubs in the world 2023

Manchester United profited €688.6m (£583.2m) in 2021/22, a 23% rise against the €558m (£494.1m) made the campaign earlier.

€309m was made from commercial deals, €254m from broadcast and €126m from matchday.

It remains to be seen whether the Red Devils’ failure to qualify for the Champions League this season will affect their income.

5. PSG (€654.2m)

Top 10 richest football clubs in the world 2023

Despite their reputation for lavish spendings on transfer and wages, PSG’s business model (as well as Financial Fair Play {FFP} rules) has prevented them from going bankrupt. Instead, they yield profits annually.

Last year, they made €654.2m (£554m). An 18% growth to the €556.2m (£492.5m) made the previous year.

€383m was amassed from commercial revenues, €139m from broadcast and €132m from matchday.

PSG won the Ligue 1 but got eliminated from the UEFA Champions League at the round of 16 last season.

6. Bayern Munich (€653.6m)

Bayern have regularly maintained a sustainable, consistent and reliable business model over the years.

Last year, the Bavarians made a total of €653.6m (£553.5m) in revenue — a 7% rise against the €611.4m (£541.4m) made in 2021.

Bayern have sponsorship partnerships with reputable brands like Allianz, Adidas and Audi. They generated €378m from commercial deals in the last 12 months.

From broadcast rights, they raked in €207m. While €68m was generated from matchday revenue.

On the pitch, Bayern won the Bundesliga but crashed out at the quarterfinal stage of the UEFA Champions League.

7. Barcelona (€638.2m)

Top 10 richest football clubs in the world 2023

Barcelona terribly fell in the DFML rankings, with the club dropping from 4th to 7th in 2023.

Their woeful financial crisis saw them accumulate a €1.3 billion debt, which saw them deploy various methods to raise money last summer.

Furthermore, they are yet to recover from the Covid-19 financial disaster.

In 2022, Barca made €638.2m (£540.5m) — a 10% increase to the €582.1m (£515.4m) generated the previous year.

Their fall on the richest clubs list in 2023 is majorly due to a 13% decline in broadcast revenues. They made €251m from TV rights, but it was lower than the €290m made in 2021.

Furthermore, decline in Barcelona’s broadcast revenue can be partially attributed to their underperformance in UEFA club competitions last season in comparison to previous years.

The club embarrassingly crashed out of the Champions League at the group stage in 2021/22 and dropped to the Europa League for the first time since the 2003/04 season.

Even in the second tier competition, they shockingly got eliminated by Eintracht Frankfurt in the quarter-finals.

Furthermore, Barca’s commercial revenue growth (€284m) was significantly lower than that of the other top clubs.

The Blaugranas made €103m from matchday revenue in 2022.

8. Chelsea (€568.3m)

Despite the crisis which hit Chelsea last year when the owner was forced to sell the club due to the Russian/Ukraine war; the Blues still remain among the top 10 richest football clubs in the world.

They made a total of €568.3m (£481.3m) last season, representing a 15% increase to the €493.1m (£436.6m) accrued the season earlier.

Chelsea made €209m from commercial transactions, €277m from broadcast and €82m from matchday revenue.

They finished 3rd in the Premier League, lost both finals of the FA Cup and League Cup and reached the quarterfinals of the Champions League.

Moreso, Todd Boehly’s new ownership seems equally determined to keep spending heavily like the Roman Abramovich era.

9. Tottenham (€523m)

Over the last decade, Tottenham Hotspur have gradually established themselves among the elite football clubs.

Apart from their impressive displays on the pitch, Spurs are among the richest football clubs in the world.

Last year, their total revenue generated was €523m (£442.8m). That is a 29% increase to the €406.2m (£359.7m) made the previous year.

€215m was made from commercial deals, €182m from TV broadcast rights and €125m from matchday revenue.

10. Arsenal (€433.5m)

Top 10 richest football clubs in the world 2023

In 2023, Arsenal crashed into the top 10 richest football clubs in the world for the first time since 2018/19 — replacing Juventus, who fell from 9th to 11th.

They Gunners’ financial success was primarily by virtue of their significant matchday revenue generated.

In total, Arsenal made €433.5m (£367.1m) in 2022 — an 18% rise from the €366.5m (£324.5m) generated in 2021.

€167m was profited from commercial partnerships, €172m from broadcast rights and €94m from matchday revenue.

Top 10 richest football clubs in the world 2023

In conclusion, The Top 30 Richest Football Clubs In The World in 2023 was completed by:

  1. Juventus (€400.6m)
  2. Athletico Madrid (€393.9m)
  3. Borrusia Dortmd (€356.9m)
  4. Inter Milan (€308.4m)
  5. Westham United (€301.2m)
  6. AC Milan (€264.9m)
  7. Leicester City (€252.2m)
  8. Leeds United (€223.4m)
  9. Everton (€213.7m)
  10. Newcastle (€212.3m)
  11. Aston Villa (€210.9m)
  12. E. Frankfurt (€208.3m)
  13. Brighton (€198.4m)
  14. Benfica (€196.7m)
  15. Wolves (€195.4m)
  16. Crystal Palace (€188.9m)
  17. Ajax (€187.2m)
  18. Sevilla (€186.1m)
  19. Villareal (€178.7m)
  20. Southampton (€177.7m).

Source: Deloitte Football Money League.

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