Football’s Richest Clubs : Real Madrid

Chelsea FC

Chelsea finished the last season on cloud nine after lifting their maiden UEFA Champions League trophy fulfilling their owners’ long-lasting wish of becoming the best in Europe.

They overcame defending champions Barcelona in the semis and then defeated Bayern Munich in the final at Allianz Arena to become the European champions for the first time in their history.

Besides that, they also beat Liverpool in the FA Cup final taking home to silverwares for the season.

The London based club’s earnings for the 2011/12 season increased by 15% to €139.4m. They finished sixth in the EPL standings. They scored 65 League goals, collected 64 points and enjoyed a goal difference of 19.

Bayern Munich

The German Soccer club endured a season during which they earned the tag of ‘chokers’ and the most famous of the choke came in the final of UEFA Champions League.

Having overcome Real Madrid in the semi-final, The Bavarians lost to EPL club Chelsea in the final in the penalty shootout. They also finished second in the Bundesliga.

However, a trophyless season did not affect their earnings. In fact, it saw an increase of 15% that helped them retain the fourth spot. Their earnings for the 2011/12 season stood at €368.4m.

The club will be looking to go a step ahead and leave the bittersweet memories of the past two seasons in the backburner and cross the final hurdle this season. The club scored 77 League goals, collected 73 points and enjoyed a goal difference of 55.

Manchester United

Manchester United won Community Shield last season. This happened to be their only silverware and this reflected in their earnings for the season as well.

There was a 3% decline in their revenue that stood at €395.9m. However, it was enough to guarantee them a third place in the standings for richest football clubs.

The English club bowed out of Champions League as early as from the group stage after ending as runner-up in the previous season.

There was more heartburn for the Manchester based club as they lost the Premier League title to archrivals Manchester City. The two rivals ended on same points but City edged them on goal difference.

They scored 89 League goals, collected 89 points and enjoyed a goal difference of 56.

FC Barcelona

FC Barcelona are the second richest club with a revenue of €483m for the 2011/12 season sealing the spot for a straight fourth year.

Barcelona also sealed a deal that was estimated to be €30m a year for their short sponsorship with Qatar Sports Investments in 2011-12. At that time, this was the highest ever.

They relinquished their La Liga crown to bitter rivals Real Madrid and in the UEFA Champions League lost to eventual champions Chelsea in the semi-final. However, this did not stop them from registering a 7% growth in their revenue.

Their star player Lionel Messi was the league’s top scorer with 50 goals to his name. They ended the season as the runner-up with 91 points. They pounded 114 goals and enjoyed a goal difference of 85.

Real Madrid

The Spanish giants have maintained their supremacy with revenue of €512.6m for the 2011/12 season making them the first ever club to break the €500m barrier.

In the 2011/12 season, Real Madrid won the La Liga title for a record 32nd time with a record haul of 100 points. They also found the back of the net 121 times and enjoyed a goal difference of 89. Their star player Cristiano Ronaldo was the second highest scorer of the season with 46 goals.

However, their dream of landing a Champions League title came to an end with a semi-final loss to Bayern Munich.

This is the eight consecutive season for which Madrid have topped the charts for being the highest earner among football clubs.

Source: Deloitte