Tottenham on the rise in list of world’s richest football clubs

By Deputy Chief EditorJanuary 23, 2018

203 8 minutes read

Tottenham’s growing financial strength has seen them become the 11th richest club in the world, according to the latest edition of Deloitte’s Football Money League.

Spurs moved up one place in the annual list, published today, after they increased revenue last season by £96.4m to £305.6m (€355.6m).

The north Londoners benefited from their highest ever Premier League finish of second as well as participation in the Champions League.

Playing European matches at Wembley contributed to a growth in matchday income, while they enjoyed substantial uplift from the league-wide improvement in broadcast income from new television contracts.

Tottenham are tipped to see revenue rise again this season, owing to a more lucrative kit deal with Nike and the impact of playing all home matches at Wembley, which has an attendance of 90,000.

They could climb into the top 10 and overtake Juventus in next year’s list, depending on which team wins their looming Champions League last 16 tie.

Data from Deloitte Football Money League 2018. All figures for the 2016/17 season have been translated at the average exchange rate for the year ending 30 June 2017 (£1 = €1.1637).1. Manchester United Manchester United retained the mantle of the world’s richest football club after revenue grew from £515.3m to £581.2m, although currency rates meant it was a fall in euro terms. Jose Mourinho’s side finished sixth in the Premier League and won both the EFL Cup and the Europa League, which came with the added reward of a spot in this season’s Champions League. Improved domestic TV contracts saw broadcast revenue jump to €225.9m (£194.1m) while 12 new sponsorships reflected the club’s continued commercial clout.

Matchday Revenue: €125.2m (£107.6m)
Broadcasting Revenue: €225.9m (£194.1m)
Commercial Revenue: €325.2m (£279.5m)

Total Revenue: €676.3m (£581.2m) 2. Real Madrid Spain Real Madrid became the first club to win the Champions League in successive seasons, but it wasn’t enough to wrestle top spot from Manchester United. Revenue grew by €54.5m (£48.1m) but the Spanish giants’ total still came in narrowly behind United at €674.6m (£579.7m). Commercial revenue represented the most important source of income for Real, rising by €38m last year to €301.4m.

Matchday Revenue: €136.4m (£117.2m)
Broadcasting Revenue: €236.8m (£203.5m)
Commercial Revenue: €301.4m (£259m)

Total Revenue: €674.6m (£579.7m) 3. FC Barcelona Spain Barcelona slipped from second to third richest club in the world despite generating record turnover of €648.3m (£557.1m) last season. Deloitte’s figures do not include transfer fees, so the record-breaking €222m fee they received from Paris Saint-Germain for Neymar last summer is not counted; neither is a €55m-per-year (£48.6m) shirt sponsorship deal the club signed with Japanese firm Rakuten, which started this season.

Matchday Revenue: €137.2m (£117.9m)
Broadcasting Revenue: €214.9m (£184.7m)
Commercial Revenue: €296.2m (£254.5m)

Total Revenue: €648.3m (£557.1m) 4. Bayern Munich Germany Bayern Munich failed to reach the final four of the Champions League for the first time in six years — a setback that contributed to the club’s revenue falling by €4.2m (£3.7m) to €587.8m (£505.1m). Yet the German heavyweights, who clinched the Bundesliga title for a fifth successive season, still managed to hold off competition from Manchester City and Arsenal to remain the fourth richest club in the world for now.

Matchday Revenue: €97.7m (£83.9m)
Broadcasting Revenue: €146.7m (£126.1m)
Commercial Revenue: €343.4m (£295.1m)

Total Revenue: €587.8m (£505.1m) 5. Manchester City England Manchester City’s revenue rose just 0.5 per cent to €527.7m (£453.5m) during a trophy-less first season under manager Pep Guardiola. Like all Premier League clubs, City’s broadcast revenues made a significant leap to €236.8m (£203.5m), narrowly beating commercial revenues of €230.5m (£198.1m) as the club’s largest income source.

Matchday Revenue: €60.4m (£51.9m)
Broadcasting Revenue: €236.8m (£203.5m)
Commercial Revenue: €230.5m (£198.1m)

Total Revenue: €527.7m (£453.5m) 6. Arsenal England Arsenal posted record revenues of €487.6m (£419m) and leapfrogged Paris Saint-Germain to sixth spot in the rich list despite mixed fortunes on the field. They won the FA Cup for a third time in four season but missed out on Champions League qualification after finishing outside the domestic top four for the first time in 20 years.

Matchday Revenue: €116.4m (£100m)
Broadcasting Revenue: €234.7m (£201.7m)
Commercial Revenue: €136.5m (£117.3m)

Total Revenue: €487.6m (£419m) 7. Paris Saint-Germain France Paris Saint-Germain flexed their muscle by signing Neymar from Barcelona this summer, but the club dropped a place in the Money League for the second successive year as revenue fell back under the €500m mark to €486.2m (£417.8m). Despite being the only French club amongst the world’s 20 richest, the Qatar-owned team lost out to Monaco in the Ligue 1 title race.

Matchday Revenue: €90.2m (£77.5m)
Broadcasting Revenue: €121.9m (£104.8m)
Commercial Revenue: €274.1m (£235.5m)

Total Revenue: €486.2m (£417.8m) 8. Chelsea England Chelsea bounced back from a turbulent 2015-16 campaign by winning the Premier League, but revenues shrunk by €19.4m (£17.1m) to €428m (£367.8m) due to the club’s absence from the Champions League. Like all English top-flight clubs, they benefited from bumper new central broadcast contracts, while a new deal with drinks maker Carabao drove an increase in commercial income.

Matchday Revenue: €76.2m (£65.5m)
Broadcasting Revenue: €189.1m (£162.5m)
Commercial Revenue: €162.7m (£139.8m)

Total Revenue: €428m (£367.8m) 9. Liverpool England Liverpool revenue rose to a club record €424.2m (£364.5m) as Jurgen Klopp steered the team back into the Champions League with a fourth-placed finish. Broadcast income rose significantly thanks to the Premier League’s new TV deal, but an expanded main stand at Anfield and a number of new partnerships helped both matchday and commercial income climb too.

Matchday Revenue: €80.1m (£68.8m)
Broadcasting Revenue: €182.5m (£156.8m)
Commercial Revenue: €161.6m (£138.9m)

Total Revenue: €424.2m (£364.5m) 10. Juventus Italy Juventus’ revenues rose by 20 per cent to €405.7m (£348.6m) during a season in which the Old Lady reached a second Champions League final in three years, won a record sixth consecutive Serie A title and changed the club badge. They are one of just three Italian teams in the top 20 after AC Milan dropped out and almost €150m richer than any of their domestic rivals.

Matchday Revenue: €57.8m (£49.6m)
Broadcasting Revenue: €233.5m (£200.7m)
Commercial Revenue: €114.4m (£98.3m)

Total Revenue: €405.7m (£348.6m) 11. Tottenham Hotspur England A place in last season’s Champions League helped Tottenham increase revenues by €75.9m to €355.6m (£305.6m) and leapfrog Borussia Dortmund in this year’s Money League. The club’s bank balance will again benefit from playing with Europe’s elite after Mauricio Pochettino guided his side back into the competition by finishing second — the club’s highest ever Premier League finish.

Matchday Revenue: €52.7m (£45.3m)
Broadcasting Revenue: €219m (£188.2m)
Commercial Revenue: €83.9m (£72.1m)

Total Revenue: €355.6m (£305.6m) 12. Borussia Dortmund Germany A return to the Champions League, where Dortmund reached the last eight, helped the German club grow revenues by €48.7m (£43m) to €332.6m (£285.8m). Yet it is the club’s commercial operation that was the biggest contributor to turnover last season. International pre-season tours of Asia and sponsorship deals – Eurowings, Coca-Cola and MAN coaches either signed or renewed partnerships — boosted commercial revenue to €148.2m (£127.4m).

Matchday Revenue: €58.6m (£50.4m)
Broadcasting Revenue: €125.8m (£108m)
Commercial Revenue: €148.2m (£127.4m)

Total Revenue: €332.6m (£285.8m) 13. Atlético Madrid Spain Atlético Madrid’s 13th place in the Money League makes their run to last season’s Champions League semi-finals and third-placed finish in La Liga particularly impressive. Revenue hit a record level of €272.5m (£234.2m), nearly two-thirds of which came from TV income. Collective media rights selling in Spain helped Atleti’s broadcast revenue rise by €21.6m (£19.1m) to €161m (£138.4m).

Matchday Revenue: €41m (£35.2m)
Broadcasting Revenue: €161m (£138.4m)
Commercial Revenue: €70.5m (£60.6m)

Total Revenue: €272.5m (£234.2m) 14. Leicester City England Leicester may have not been able to replicate their title-winning heroics from a year before last season on the pitch, yet a place in the Champions League, increased Premier League TV money and a raised profile attractive to sponsors helped the club to a better year off it. The Foxes rose six places in the Money League thanks to an increase in revenue of £104.3m.

Matchday Revenue: €19.2m (£16.5m)
Broadcasting Revenue: €222m (£190.8m)
Commercial Revenue: €29.9m (£25.7m)

Total Revenue: €271.1m (£233m) 15. Inter Milan Italy Inter Milan endured a difficult season last year, finishing seventh in Serie A and crashing out of the Europa League at the group stage — yet the club still managed to climb four places in the Money League. Suning, the club’s new Chinese owners, helped drive a mammoth 137 per cent increase in commercial revenue to €130.1m (£111.8m). That arm of the club’s business represented half of its total €262.1m (£225.2m) revenue.

Matchday Revenue: €28.4m (£24.4m)
Broadcasting Revenue: €103.6m (£89m)
Commercial Revenue: €130.1m (£111.8m)

Total Revenue: €262.1m (£225.2m) 16. Schalke 04 Germany Schalke remain one of Germany’s richest and best supported clubs, despite a 10th placed finish in last season’s Bundesliga. The club’s revenue rose a steady three per cent to €230.2m (£197.8m), but it was not enough to stop them falling two places in the Money League to 16th. This season the club has made improvements on the pitch and is battling for a Champions League qualification spot.

Matchday Revenue: €53.3m (£45.8m)
Broadcasting Revenue: €82.3m (£70.7m)
Commercial Revenue: €94.6m (£81.3m)

Total Revenue: €230.2m (£197.8m) 17. West Ham United England West Ham’s record revenue of €213.3m (£183.3m) was primarily due to the uplift in broadcast income to €138.8m (£119.3m) that came as a result of the Premier League’s £8bn TV deal. Despite a headache-filled first season at the London Stadium, West Ham had the eighth highest average attendance of the world’s 20 richest football clubs and boosted matchday revenue to €33.3m (£28.6m).

Matchday Revenue: €33.3m (£28.6m)
Broadcasting Revenue: €138.8m (£119.3m)
Commercial Revenue: €41.2m (£35.4m)

Total Revenue: €213.3m (£183.3m) 18. Southampton England Thanks to the huge increase in broadcast income from the Premier League TV contracts, Southampton are named as one of the world’s 20 richest football clubs for the first time. Broadcast revenues stood at €166.4m (£143m) — 79 per cent of the club’s total €212.1m (£182.3m). The Saints boosted earnings with a run to the EFL Cup final, participation in the Europa League and a three-year shirt sponsorship deal with Virgin Media.

Matchday Revenue: €26.1m (£22.4m)
Broadcasting Revenue: €166.4m (£143m)
Commercial Revenue: €19.6m (£16.9m)

Total Revenue: €212.1m (£182.3m) 19. Napoli Italy Napoli overtook domestic rivals AC Milan and Roma to make it into the top 20, after finishing third in Serie A and reaching the last 16 of the Champions League. It was their European run that most contributed to a hefty €56.5m upswing in revenue to €200.7m (£172.5m). The visit of Real Madrid to the San Paolo was reported to have generated the third-largest gate receipts in Italian football history.

Matchday Revenue: €19.4m (£16.7m)
Broadcasting Revenue: €147m (£126.3m)
Commercial Revenue: €34.3m (£29.5m)

Total Revenue: €200.7m (£172.5m) 20. Everton England Everton returned to the top 20 following a €36.7m (£32.4m) jump in income to €199.2m (£171.2m) that was almost entirely attributable to improved broadcast earnings from new league-wide contracts, although a training ground sponsorship deal with USM Holdings helped boost commercial income by a third to €30.5m (£26.2m). On the pitch, the Toffees finished seventh in England’s top flight, earning a path back into the Europa League, but suffered early exits in both domestic cup competitions.