With the huge transfer fees getting paid by some top teams, European clubs are getting richer and richer each year. This is predominantly due to the increase in TV money and the fact that a lot of clubs are tying up commercial partnerships with countries and companies from outside Europe. As you will have noticed, many clubs now go on pre and post season tours outside the continent looking to capitalise on a commercial basis.
The question is who are the richest clubs in terms of turnover throughout the world?
5. Bayern Munich
One of best run football clubs in Europe and the biggest club in Germany who sell out their seventy five thousand seater stadium each home game. The match day revenue has allowed them to sign some of the best players and their stadium is one of the best in Europe.
4. Paris St Germain
This may surprise some people as they don’t have a record littered with European trophies but they are owned by the Qatar Investment Authority which has pumped in millions to try and make Paris St Germain a more established side and to be able to compete with the best teams in Europe. It has spent heavily on players in the last five years but still seems to struggle in the Champions League.
3. Manchester United
Old Trafford is the biggest Premier League stadium in the UK and are one of the few clubs in the world who have gone public, they were on the New York stock exchange in 2012. They have a strong history and a global support network and had the most marketable footballer in David Beckham playing for them for several years.
2. Barcelona
At the moment they are probably the most exciting team to watch and in Lionel Messi have one of the best players ever to grace a football pitch. The Nou Camp holds over one hundred thousand people which produces very high gate receipts coupled with the one hundred and forty thousand members. The Barcelona v Real Madrid fixture, along with the corresponding fixture in Madrid, are the two most watched football fixtures each year.
1. Real Madrid
The most successful team in terms of European Cups / Champions Leagues won are also the richest club and have been for the last four years. This probably helps explain why they paid the two highest transfer fees in world football when they bought Gareth Bale from Tottenham Hotspur and Cristiano Ronaldo from Manchester United. The Bernabeu sells out every match and make a lot of money through shirts and TV right sales.
We hope this blog has given you an insight into the richest clubs and we imagine the top five won’t change for some time.