Want to know which football clubs are the richest? here is a list of 19 of teams ranked according to revenue…
19. Inter Milan (Italy)
2014/15 Revenue: €164.8 million
(£125.5 million; $187 million)
We begin with Inter Milan, not to be confused with its rival AC Milan,
who it shares the 80,000 capacity San Siro Stadium with. Down two
places from the season before, the club has the lowest matchday
revenue of any club on the list, but sponsorship from Nike and Pirelli
continues to bring in the money. A failure to qualify for any European
championships in 2015/16 will hurt TV revenues.
18. Everton (UK)
2014/15 Revenue: €165 million
(£130 million; $188 million)
Liverpool’s neighbour and rival, Everton are having a disappointing
season in the Premier League but fare well when it comes to money.
Farhad Moshiri, a British Iranian businessman, has a 49% stake in the
club. Broadcast rights, which accounts for 69% of the club’s revenue,
rose to £86.8 million last season, while ticket sales are at a ten
year high.
17. Newcastle United (UK)
2014/15 Revenue: €169 million
(£133 million; $192 million)
Newcaslte has a big fanbase, which means big money, but it stands to
lose a chunk of that if it gets relegated from the Premier League this
season. The club is owned by British billionaire Mike Ashley, who is
disliked by fans, and the Sports Direct owner has suggested he’d like
to sell up when wins its next trophy.
16. AS Roma (Italy)
2014/15 Revenue: €180 million
(£142 million; $205 million)
AS Roma is the fifth most supported club in football mad Italy, so the
club has deep pockets. As it happens, it’s using that money to build a
new stadium this year, said to be inspired by the Colosseum.
15. Atlético Madrid (Spain)
2014/15 Revenue: €187 million
(£148 million; $213 million)
Another Club that’s moving to a new, bigger stadium this year,
Atletico Madrid enjoys royal patronage: Felipe VI, the current king of
Spain, has been the honorary president of the club since 2003.
Barcelona’s recent dramatic drop off in form has also left Atletico
in with a chance of winning La Liga this season.
14. AC Milan (Italy)
2014/15 Revenue: €199 million
(£157 million; $226 million)
Down two places from last year, AC Milan is one of many clubs on the
list with a high profile majority shareholder — in this instance
Italy’s former Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi. Matchday revenue in
2014/15 was €2.6 million lower than the previous year due to the club
playing fewer home games, while the absence of any UEFA presence saw a
drop in TV revenue.
13. Schalke 04 (Germany)
2014/15 Revenue: €220 million
(£174 million; $250 million)
Up one place from the season before, the “04” comes from when the club
was founded in 1904 in case you were wondering. It has a well-known
rivalry with German neighbours Borussia Dortmund, who we’ll be seeing
later on. Schalke have jumped on football’s international appeal, with
over 20 club media channels and region specific content in five
languages, that helps shore up revenue from overseas.
12. Tottenham Hotspur (UK)
2014/15 Revenue: €256 million
(£202 million; $291 million)
Tottenham has become a serious contender against Leicester FC for the
Premier League title this season, but it was already raking it in last
year thanks to a superb half decade. Taking pride of place as one of
the world’s oldest clubs — founded in 1882 — it’s currently owned by
the English National Investment Company.
11. Borussia Dortmund (Germany)
2014/15 Revenue: €281 million
(£222 million; $320 million)
Borussia Dortmund is massively rich, but it’s also charitable: ticket
sales from a 2011 game and €1 million from Dortmund’s main sponsor
Evonik went to Japanese earthquake and tsunami victims.
10. Juventus (Italy)
2014/15 Revenue: €324 million
(£256 million; $369 million)
Founded 1897 a group of young Torinese students, it’s safe to say
Juventus became bigger than any of them could have imagined. It’s the
best-supported football club in Italy, with over 12 million supporters
— approximately 29% of the total Italian football fanbase.
9. Liverpool (UK)
2014/15 Revenue: €392 million
(£310 million; $446 million)
Despite mixed success over the last few seasons, Liverpool fans are in
an upbeat mood thanks to their charismatic new manager Jurgen Klopp.
The Merseyside club are also in with a shout of winning the Europa
League this year. The club is one of a number of Premier League teams
to have caught the eye of American investors: at present, it’s owned
by the Fenway Sports Group, who also owns the Boston Red Sox baseball
team.
8. Chelsea (UK)
2014/15 Revenue: €420 million
(£332 million; $478 million)
London club Chelsea has had a dreadful season, which resulted in the
firing of manager Jose Mourinho, but at least its revenues are sky
high, thanks in part to the club lifting the Premier League trophy
last season. Russian billionaire Roman Abramovich bought the club in
2003 and his continued investment has (mostly) kept fans happy since.
7. Arsenal (UK)
2014/15 Revenue: €436 million
(£344 million; $496 million)
London club Arsenal boasts the fifth largest fanbase in the world on
social media and is worth over $1.3 billion according to Forbes
magazine. A lot of its success is down to its manager Arsene Wenger,
who has served the club for almost two decades.
6. Manchester City (UK)
2014/15 Revenue: €464 million
(£366 million; $$528 million)
Winners of the Premier League title in 2012 and 2014, Man City is
owned by investors of the Abu Dhabi United Group who are seeking to
turn the club into a dominant force in European football. Premiership
glory looks set to elude the team this season, but there’s always next
year.
5. Bayern Munich (Germany)
2014/15 Revenue: €474 million
(£374 million; $539 million)
Down two places from last year, Bayern Munich continues to rake it in.
The club counts former players Hopfner and Rummenigge as its President
and Chairman respectively, who took them to championship glory last
season. Matchday revenue grew marginally to €89.8 million, as average
league attendances rose to 72,882 following approval to increase the
capacity of the Allianz Arena to just over 75,000
4. Paris Saint-Germain (France)
2014/15 Revenue: €481 million
(£380 million; $547 million)
France’s only club on the list is also one of the wealthiest in the
world. It’s currently owned by the Qatar Investment Authority, which
has ploughed $340 million into the club since 2012, allowing it to buy
some of the world’s most expensive players, build its brand, and
cement its league success.
3. Manchester United (UK)
2014/15 Revenue: €520 million
(£411 million; $592 million)
Fans may be missing the Alex Ferguson-led glory days, but the global
brand of Manchester United still gave it the biggest revenues of any
English club in the 2014/15 season. It’s also one of the few clubs in
the world to have gone public, debuting on the New York stock exchange
in 2012.
2. FC Barcelona (Spain)
2014/15 Revenue: €561 million
(£443 million; $638 million)
Home of Lionel Messi — the world’s best player in many people’s eyes —
Barcelona rises two places from the previous season. Its ownership
structure is something of a cooperative: it is not possible to
purchase shares in the club, but only membership. As of 2016, the club
has 140,000 members.
1. Real Madrid (Spain)
2014/15 Revenue: €577 million
(£456 million; $657 million)
The biggest money making team of last season was voted by FIFA as the
European club of the 20th century, and its fortunes are only getting
better this millennium. Real Madrid has some of the world’s most
expensive players, including Cristiano Ronaldo, but its revenue to
wage ratio is in good health thanks to high ticket, shirt, and TV
rights sales. Expect it to be number one for many years to come.
SOURCE: BUSINESS INSIDER UK