In Brief

Real Madrid return to the top of football’s money league

It’s a La Liga one-two as Manchester United slip to third place

24 Jan 2019

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Real Madrid have won three Uefa Champions League titles in a row 

Lluis Gene/AFP/Getty Images

Real Madrid may only be third in Spain’s La Liga but when it comes to football finances they are top of the league.

Premier League news: leaders Liverpool are in the money

The reigning Champions League holders have claimed top spot in Deloitte’s Football Money League ahead of Spanish rivals Barcelona who are second and English giants Manchester United in third.

According to Deloitte’s report for the 2017-18 season, Real moved back to the top of the football money league for the first time since 2014-15.

The Bernabéu club won a third successive Champions League title last year and this helped generate revenues of £665.2m - an increase of £85m. Real become the first club to generate more than €750m (£653.4m) and finish top for a record 12th time.

Barcelona posted revenues of £611.6m while Man Utd generated £590m. United were one of six Premier League clubs to finish in the top ten. Tottenham make it into the top ten for only the second time.

The 20 highest-earning football clubs generated a combined revenue record of £7.4bn in 2017-18. This is an increase of 6% on the previous year.

Dan Jones, head of the sports business group at Deloitte, said: “Real Madrid’s outstanding financial performance in 2017-18 is built on their long history of success on the pitch, most recently three consecutive Champions League titles.

“This has enabled the club to continue to drive commercial revenue as the appetite to partner with Europe’s most successful clubs remains stronger than ever.”