Manchester United are once again the word’s leading football club for revenue generation according to Deloitte’s 2018 Football Money League table.
United retained top spot for a second consecutive year, generating total revenue of €676m (£581m).
The Manchester club pipped Champions League winners Real Madrid to top spot with just €1.7m (£1.5m) separating the two clubs; with United’s win in the Europa League Final last season proving critical in the club topping the list for a tenth time.
Real Madrid (€674.6m) leapfrogged Catalan rivals Barcelona (€648.3m.) thanks to strong commercial growth in 2016/17 and a title winning season in both domestic and European competitions.
The English Premier League has ten teams in the top 20 this year, the highest ever from one country, with Southampton (18th) making their debut in the Money League top 20, Manchester City consolidating their place in the top five, and Leicester City rising to 14th, from 20th last year. Outside the top 20, there are four more English clubs ranked 21-30, including AFC Bournemouth who debut in 28th place.
In the 2009-10 season, Bournemouth were promoted from League Two. The club were only promoted to the Premier League at the start of the 2015/16 season.
Deloitte predict that in the longer term, changes to the Champions League format from 2018/19 and the new Premier League domestic and international broadcast rights agreements commencing in 2019/20 will be key influencing factors on the membership and order of clubs in future editions of the Money League.
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