World's Largest Soccer Clubs Return 4 Billion EUR of Profit Annually

During the season of 2008-2009, the total revenue of twenty most profitable soccer clubs  increased significantly and now amounts to nearly €4 billion. Real Madrid with €401.4 million in profit once again retained its place at the top. The club has been the top earning team of the Football Money League for the last five seasons.

The club’s financial matters were not affected by the fact that the last soccer season was not very successful for Real Madrid. Yet, the club’s profit has increased by 10% compared to the season 2007-2008. The revenue from broadcasts of the club’s matches alone is higher than total revenue of any club in the second half of the rating, €161 million.

Catalane club Barcelona placed second in the Football Money League rating prepared by Deloitte. The club managed to outrun Manchester United thanks to its victory in the Champions League. The victory in the most prestigious European Tournament has brought the winners €57 million in revenue. During the season, Barcelona has doubled its profit to €365.9 million. This is the most significant growth among the top twenty.

The fall in exchange rate of Pound Sterling to Euro has affected the financial standing of Manchester United. Deloitte’s representative made a suggestion that if the exchange rate of the British national currency was on the pre-crisis level, Manchester United would certainly be on the top of the list. Now it is number three with €327 million.

Another representative of Deloitte said that if the British Pound does not strengthen its position to Euro, Real Madrid and Barcelona will be on the top of the Football Money League in the future. He emphasized that British clubs will have a good earnings gain in the season of 2010-2011 due to new broadcast contracts for the British Premier League.

Deloitte’s representatives believe that it is not the financial crisis that matters, but weak expenses control and mistakes made by the club management. Britain has its own example of soccer bankruptcy. Portsmouth went down in history as the only Premier League club that ran bankruptcy.

According to the revenue rating, the British cannot complain. Out of twenty clubs that made it to the Football Money League for the season 2008-2009, seven play in the Premier League. Bundesliga is on the second place in the top twenty with five teams. The most profitable one is Bayern Munich, which placed fourth, like a year before, with €289.5 Euro.

Bayern Munich is followed by two London teams. Arsenal managed to force Chelsea out of its place. “Cannoneers” earned €263 million, while “Aristocrats” made €242.3 million.

The Spanish were third in representation with four clubs in the rating, two clubs each.

Anatoly Miranovsky.