Spanish giants rake in the most cash again
PSG soars in earnings table
LONDON — Real Madrid and Barcelona are soccer’s biggest money-makers for the fifth straight year, and Manchester United lost its place among the top three biggestearning clubs for the first time.
United, which is enduring a lacklustre season under new manager David Moyes, dropped to fourth behind European champion Bayern Munich in the Football Money League compiled by accountancy firm Deloitte.
The biggest growth in 201213 was at Paris Saint-Germain, which went from 10th to fifth as the club’s global profile was enhanced by David Beckham’s four-month spell in the championshipwinning team.
Madrid stayed on top for the ninth straight year after revenue rose slightly to $703 million (all figures US). Spanish rival Barcelona had revenues of $654 million.
“Real Madrid remain firmly at the top of the Money League, even though the club experienced a trophy-less end to the 2012-13 season,” said Dan Jones, a partner in the sports business group at Deloitte.
“Despite tough economic conditions, particularly within Spain, the club’s ability to generate substantial commercial revenue both domestically and internationally is central to their success.
“This helped widen the gap to their nearest rivals in the Money League, Barcelona, to ($52 million). Both Spanish clubs enjoy substantial revenue from individually negotiated broadcast deals, which is key in contributing to their overall revenue advantage over their European peers.”
In Germany, Bayern’s income jumped 17 per cent to $584 million as the German club won the Champions League, Bundesliga and German Cup.
United’s growth was slower — 13 per cent to $602 million — as the team collected the Premier League title before manager Alex Ferguson retired in May.
“It is the first time Manchester United have dropped out of the top three but Bayern had an exceptional year,” Jones said.
“Next year United will have the Chevrolet (shirt sponsorship) deal plus other new commercial deals in their figures, and the new Premier League TV deal so we are confident they will be back in the top three.”