There are a lot of ways to measure the biggest clubs in world football, but which clubs are the best at making money? Based on information from the Deloitte Football Money League, here are the top 25 clubs in world football based on the amount of revenue they generated last year.
25. Crystal Palace, 232.5M
Crystal Palace sold some of their biggest talents, including Marc Guehi to Manchester City this winter transfer window, and they will need to continue to sell well to maintain a top 25 revenue.
24. Everton, 234.0M
It really goes to show you the power of the Premier League these days that the English top flight have so many clubs represented in the top 25. Everton have slipped from their historic status, but they are a money making machine.
23. Brighton, €238.7M
Meanwhile, Brighton are quickly becoming a force to be reckoned with in world football. Their Moneyball approach has yielded some of world football’s finest young talents, and they are not afraid to gamble on cult heroes.
22. Eintracht Frankfurt, €269.9M
Eintracht Frankfurt have such a brilliant collection of young talents and they will continue to sell well, as they did with forwards Randal Kolo Muani, Omar Marmoush, and Hugo Ekitike in recent years.
21. Galatasaray, €273.6M
Galatasaray embarrassed Juventus in the Champions League and have landed some outrageous players, including Victor Osimhen. They are the biggest club in Turkey for a reason.
20. West Ham, €276.0M
West Ham are staring down relegation, but they are a club in a big city with passionate fans. If they could only manage to sell better and spend on the right players, they would be competing for silverware in European football again.
19. Benfica, €283.4M
Benfica have become one of the world’s best selling clubs over the years, and they know a thing or two about extracting maximum revenue out of their sales, famously fleecing Atletico Madrid with Joao Felix and even Liverpool with Darwin Nunez.
18. Stuttgart, €296.3M
More people need to be talking about the way Stuttgart are producing talents, though Borussia Dortmund have been wise to it, saving themselves from embarrassment by poaching Waldemar Anton, Gregor Kobel, and Serhou Guirassy from their suddenly more exciting neighbors to the south.
17. Newcastle, €398.4M
Being backed by Saudi Arabia certainly helps, but Newcastle were one of the biggest clubs in the Premier League even before the takeover. They legitimately have some of the best fans in the world.
16. Juventus, €401.7M
It shows you how far Juventus have fallen that they went from being the biggest club in Italy to ranked third and not even in the top 15 in world football in revenue. But when you notice that only three Serie A clubs made the top 25 at all, it really shows you how badly the league is hurting as a whole.
15. AC Milan, €410.4M
AC Milan are a historic franchise and unlike Juventus, they are still able to attract huge names in world football like Luka Modric. Their problem is sporting, but with former Juve coach bringing them back to the Champions League – in all likelihood – this season, the Rossoneri should be close to the top 10 again soon.
14. Aston Villa, €450.2M
Again, the power of the Premier League. It is borderline insanity to think that we are in the timeline where Aston Villa are perennial Champions League contenders, more successful sporting wise than Juventus, and making more money than Juve and Milan.
13. Atletico Madrid, €454.5M
Atletico Madrid may like to think themselves as being part of a Big Three in La Liga alongside Real Madrid and Barcelona, but while they are a big club with ambitions in their own right, they are still minnows compared to the revenues their rivals bring in.
12. Borussia Dortmund, €531.5M
Borussia Dortmund may like to present themselves as underdogs, but they are only underdogs in the sense that their mentality is weak as a club and all of the former players hired to executive positions are totally clueless in recruitment.
11. Inter Milan, €537.5M
Inter Milan have been embarrassed in the Champions League, unable to wash away the stench of last season’s blowout loss in the Champions League Final, but they are the only Italian team near the top 10 for a reason and are by far the best team in the Serie A table this season.
10. Chelsea, €584.1M
Chelsea can make money hand over fist and have an owner in Todd Boehly who is always willing to spend. What the Blues need to do is stack up wins and get further in the Champions League again, though, historically, they always punch above their weight in the premier competitions.
9. Tottenham Hotspur, €672.6M
It is insane to think that Tottenham Hotspur have the second best stadium in world football after Real Madrid that hosts more NFL games than any other international venue, and yet even with top 10 revenues they still can’t help but rank in the bottom five of the Premier League. Daniel Levy’s legacy lives on.
8. Manchester United, €793.1M
Manchester United have one of the biggest and most global sporting brands, yet their revenues are not even in the top five. That is down to a lack of sporting success, but if Michael Carrick can return the Red Devils to Champions League football, they could be back in that top five bracket.
7. Arsenal, €821.7M
The Arsenal turnaround has been remarkable, and they are now making more money than rivals Manchester United. What the Gunners need to do is bank on all this momentum under Mikel Arteta and secure a trophy.
6. Manchester City, €829.3M
The UAE can give Manchester City an endless supply of cash, but these guys still know how to make money on their own. So many young fans in the new generation have fallen in love with the superstars of Man City, and they may actually be making more money off the highlights and attraction of new fans with players like Rayan Cherki, Erling Haaland, and Omar Marmoush.
5. Liverpool, €836.1M
Liverpool were able to spend more than anyone else after winning the Premier League both due to prize money and because of how well Fenway Sports Group is at making money. The Reds need to spend more wisely, but they have a great buffer zone because of how many fans they have in high revenue countries.
4. PSG, €837.0M
Like Manchester City, PSG are backed by a country in Qatar and money will never be an object for them. But these guys are also the dominant force in French football with no other team remotely near the top 25 in revenues, and they are also the reigning Champions League winners after an insanely dominant campaign.
3. Bayern Munich, €860.6M
There is a reason why people consider these top three clubs untouchable, and while the Bundesliga does not attract the dollar signs of the other leagues, Bayern Munich dominate it so much and have so many huge sponsorships in Germany and abroad, they are well ahead of the back. They are the best run organization in world football, with all due respect to Real Madrid.
2. Barcelona, €974.8M
Barcelona, by contrast, have been as mismanaged financially as any big club in sports, but they have such an amazing fan base, rich history of superstars, and a beautiful style of play led by the marketable phenom that is Lamine Yamal.
1. Real Madrid, €1.164B
Yet Real Madrid play in a league of their own. Nobody else makes billions – not even eternal rivals Barcelona, who are the only club even in the same ZIP code. You can say what you want about the marketing machine, egos, and even Florentino Perez, but nobody makes money quite like Madrid.
Joe Soriano is the editor of The Trivela Effect and a FanSided Hall of Famer who has covered world football since 2010. He’s led top digital communities like The Real Champs (Real Madrid) and has run sites covering Tottenham, Liverpool, Juventus, and Schalke. He also helped manage NFL Spin Zone and Daily DDT, covering the NFL and pro wrestling.