Deloitte's standings showed an unchanged top six, with Real Madrid topping the pile followed by Barcelona for the second successive year. Real's turnover for the 2009-10 season was Eur438.6 million, up from Eur401.4 million the previous year, while Barcelona generated Eur398.1 million, according to the latest figures.
Manchester United, which was ranked as the top revenue-generating club in the first six editions of the money league from the 1996-97 season, was third with Eur349.8 million. Bayern Munich was fourth followed by Arsenal and Chelsea. Manchester City rocketed up by nine places to No.11 after an increase of Eur50.6 million to Eur152.8 million.
“Overall these figures show remarkable growth despite the recession,” said Dan Jones, partner in the Sports Business Group at Deloitte. “The top 20 clubs have a combined revenue now of Eur4.3 billion and this rise is likely to continue next year.”
Jones continued: “These figures do not include the Premier League's new overseas TV deal or the new sponsorship deals by Manchester United with Aon, Liverpool's with Standard Chartered and Barcelona's with the Qatar Foundation.”
On the potential implications of the Financial Fair Play (FFP) rules being introduced by UEFA, Deloitte Sports Business Group director Paul Rawnsley said: “Outside exceptional circumstances, such as investment in stadia or the arrival of new owners, FFP will require football clubs to balance their books, ensuring expenditure does not significantly exceed revenue over time. Therefore, the strong showing of English clubs in the Money League provides encouragement about the future competitive health of English football.”
