Manchester United have returned to the apex of the Deloitte Money League after a staggering eleven years.
According to Michael Kelleher of Sky Sports, 20-time champions of England Manchester United have topped the Deloitte Money League for the first time in eleven years, as they recorded the highest revenue by a club in the history of the game.
In the 2015/16 campaign, the Red Devils made a record revenue of £515.3 million which was considerably higher than the second-placed duo of Spanish rivals Real Madrid and Barcelona (£463.8 million).
The calculations are based on a club’s earnings from match-day revenue, broadcast rights and commercial sources, and ranks them on that basis. It does not include the revenue generated from transfer fees.
Dan Jones, partner in the Sports Business Group at Deloitte, said: “Manchester United have had to wait 11 years to regain their position as the world’s leading revenue-generating club and it has taken phenomenal commercial revenue growth to help them achieve this.
“In recent years, their ability to secure commercial partnerships with value in excess of that achievable by their peers has been the crucial factor in enabling the club to regain their place at the top of the Money League.”
The second ranked English side was United’s cross-town rivals Manchester City, who were 5th on the overall table. Much like the Red Devils, the Citizens have also seen an upturn in finances which has resulted in them competing for domestic as well as continental supremacy.
From a more in-depth analysis, it is understood that 53 percent of Manchester United’s revenue is through commercial agreements. Broadcasting rights in the United Kingdom have helped clubs profit considerably and 27 percent of the the Red Devils’ earnings have come through that revenue source.
The remaining 20 percent revenue generated is through the sale of matchday and season tickets. Only Arsenal (29 percent) and Chelsea (21 percent) earned a greater share from their box-office sales than the Manchester outfit.
The Premier League has an impressive eight teams in the top twenty of the overall standings. Apart from the two Manchester clubs, Arsenal finished in seventh position with revenue earnings of £350.4 million.
Following the Gunners, were fellow London club Chelsea with £334.6 million while Liverpool finished ninth with a revenue income of £302 million. Tottenham Hotspur (£209.2 million), West Ham (£143.8 million) and defending champions Leicester City (£128.7 million) were the other English clubs that made the top 20 – typically due to the earnings from broadcasting rights.
