More than half of the top-20 richest football clubs in the world are in the Premier League – that’s according to analysis from Deloitte.
In their annual Money League study based on 2021/22 revenue, the firm revealed that eleven of the clubs on the planet’s richest list are English, with Manchester City leading the way from Liverpool and Manchester United.
Real Madrid and PSG round out the top five, with Barcelona and Bayern Munich slipping out of the elite after experiencing smaller revenue growth than their main continental rivals.
| Rank | Club | Revenue | From Last Year |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Man City | £619m | Same |
| 2 | Real Madrid | £604m | Same |
| 3 | Liverpool | £594m | Up 4 |
| 4 | Man Utd | £583m | Up 1 |
| 5 | PSG | £554m | Up 1 |
There’s also spots in the top-ten for Chelsea (eighth place at £481m), Tottenham (ninth at £442m) and Arsenal (tenth at £367m), while West Ham, Leicester City, Leeds United, Everton and newly-minted Newcastle United feature in the rest of the top-20.
According to the data, if the rankings were extended to a top-30, as many as 16 Premier League clubs would feature, such is the global commercial appeal of the English top-flight.
“That dominance is unprecedented,” said Deloitte’s Zal Udwadia.
“It is really down to the investment you are seeing in the Premier League, its global appeal and the growth in the broadcast rights.
“Other leagues have explored measures to bridge that gap, including private equity investment, but it is growing.”
Could the European Super League Happen Without Premier League Clubs?
The figures in the Money League report aren’t all that surprising really, and confirm that the passion for the Premier League amongst fans around the world, as well as commercial partners, sponsors and private investors, remains as strong as ever.
The Premier League was the only one of Europe’s ‘big five’ domestic leagues to see the value of their media rights increase at the time of their most recent sales process.
Clubs from the continent will be wondering what they can do to redress the balance, as money continues to talk in football and their competitiveness – or otherwise – in both the transfer market and flagship competitions like the Champions League will be further eroded as EPL sides continue to get richer.
“The question now is whether other leagues can close the gap, likely by driving the value of future international media rights, or if the Premier League will be virtually untouchable, in revenue terms,” pondered Deloitte’s Tim Bridge.
One possible solution, although not universally popular, would be a refreshed look at the European Super League – perhaps without the involvement of Premier League clubs.
That unification might be the only way that the continent can compete with the Premier League commercially, and it’s an idea that has been floated by Andrea Agnelli, the former Juventus chairman who has recently resigned after the club became embroiled in a police investigation over their finances.
“European football needs a new system,” Agnelli has claimed.
“Otherwise, it risks a decrease in favour of a single dominant league which, within a few years, will attract all the talent of European football within its league, completely marginalising the other leagues and the others are already marginalised.”
Perhaps we’ve not heard the last of the European Super League after all….