The viewership of sports boasts billions of fans and followers worldwide, which translates to just how much the sport is doing and what types of players the biggest clubs in the world are bringing in.
The valuation of the most elite football clubs has always been a fascinating statistic to keep an eye on especially as Football has grown to be one of the world’s most lucrative business in sports with millions of dollars being thrown into sponsorship, merchandise and licensing.
According to the Deloitte rankings, FC Barcelona was named the world’s richest football club in 2021. However, a new club has now usurped the Catalan club on the rankings in 2022 after generating revenue of €644.9 million (£537 million/$709 million).
From the Premier League, to La Liga, Ligue 1 to Serie A and Bundesliga, Let’s take a look at full list of the top 10 richest football clubs list in the world right now as per Deloitte:
10. Tottenham Hotspur – €406.2m
The North London club, is one of the most popular Premier League teams.
According to the latest rankings, Tottenham Hotspur are estimated to be the tenth richest football club in the world in 2022 with annual revenue of €406.2 million.
AIA is the club’s shirt (jersey) sponsor. The club which was established on September 5, 1882 is currently owned by the ENIC group.
Tottenham Hotspur boast of some of the biggest players in the Premier League including the duo of English striker Harry Kane and Korean attacker Son Heung-Min.
AIA has been their global principal partner since 2014, after their contract with the club was extended from 2017 to 2022.
9. Juventus – €433.5m
Juventus is one of the oldest and most successful soccer clubs in Italian football history. The Old Lady have won the most Serie A titles [36] of any team in the division.
One of the biggest highlights in the club was in 2018 when the Juventus signed Portuguese superstar Cristiano Ronaldo from Real Madrid for a reported transfer fee of £105 million.
Juventus is ninth on this list, with annual revenue of €433.5 million in 2022.
The club’s current shirt sponsors are Adidas and FCA (Jeep). Jeep is a brand of American automobiles that is now owned by the multinational firm Stellantis N.V.
8. Chelsea – €493.1m
Chelsea are the 8th most valuable team in the world in 2022 with annual revenue of €493.1m.
The London-based outfit is one of the biggest clubs in the United Kingdom. Chelsea FC is one of the most popular football clubs in the world, with a large fan base globally.
The club was established in 1905 but actually became a real force to reckon with after former owner Roman Abramovich bought the club in June, 2003.
The two-time Champions League winners are currently valued at $3.2 billion, having won the competition in the 2020-21 season. Under Abramovich, Chelsea was notorious for making big signings with players as well as coaches.
With the arrival of players such as Kai Havertz, Timo Werner, and Romelu Lukaku in 2021, the club’s valuation increased significantly.
However, with Abramovich announcing his intention to leave the club, the club’s valuation was expected to fall. Their shirt sponsor is “Three,” a popular internet and telecommunications service provider based in the United Kingdom.
7. Liverpool – €550.4m
Liverpool, come seventh on this list this year. The Merseyside outfit are the most successful club in English football history.
Founded in 1892. Liverpool FC have resurrected its glory days in recent years with coach Jurgen Klopp doing a great job recruiting players like Mohamed Salah, Sadio Mane, Alisson, Virgil van Dijk, and others who have been crucial to their success.
Liverpool’s recent success has also increased the club’s market value, making it one of the most valuable football clubs in the world.
Mohamed Salah is their most valuable player, with a market value of €90 million. followed by Trent Alexander-Arnold, who’s worth €72 million.
Their primary shirt sponsor is Standard Chartered, a British multinational financial and banking services company.
Liverpool FC currently has an estimated annual revenue of €550.4m after achieving great success in recent years.
Nike has been producing Liverpool’s jerseys since 2020, with the contract set to expire in 2025.
6 PSG (Paris Saint-Germain) – €556.2m
PSG is currently the biggest club in French football.
The Paris-based club are currently the defending champions in Ligue 1, France’s top football league.
The club is also notorious for its expensive player transfers and wages.
Paris Saint-Germain broke the world transfer record for the most expensive signing in history when they signed Neymar from Barcelona in 2018, in a transaction that cost the French club around €489m in total.
PSG was formed in 1970 as a result of the merger of Paris FC and Stade Saint-Germain. The club has relished a revival with increased financial backing since 2011, achieving outstanding dominance domestically.
PSG has also established itself as a regular participant in the Champions League, reaching their first final in 2020 even though they eventually lost out to Bayern Munich.
PSG is currently the sixth most valuable football club in the world, with annual revenue of €556.2m boasting of some pf the biggest stars in world football including Kylian Mbappe, Lionel Messi and Neymar.
The club’s shirts are sponsored by Accor Live Limits, a well-known French multinational corporation. Since 1989, Nike has been PSG’s technical partner, supplying the kits for their men’s and women’s football teams, as well as their handball team.
During the second half of the season, both the men’s and women’s teams always wear PSG’s white jersey.
Its design is inspired by the famous uniforms of the Chicago Bulls and continues to commemorate the four-year collaboration between Paris Saint-Germain and Jordan brands.
5. Manchester United – €558m
Manchester United is undisputedly the most popular soccer club in English football.
The Premier League giants are also one of the most followed and most successful clubs on the planet.
Founded in 1878, Manchester United is the fifth most valuable football team on the list, with annual revenue of €558m.
United have reaped enormous benefits from the signing of Cristiano Ronaldo who also contributes financially to the club.
Manchester United priced his jersey at approximately €28, and his total shirt sales in less than a month contributed a staggering €233 million to their revenue.
A Cristiano Ronaldo Manchester United Home Shirt 2021-22 with Ronaldo 7 printing jersey was worth $83.
Manchester United have unveiled TeamViewer as its new shirt partner while Adidas remains it’s kit sponsor.
United also signed a deal with tech giants Tezos, as the club’s official financial blockchain partner.
The 13-time Premier League champions have also signed some of the most expensive players in football including Paul Pogba, Romelu Lukaku, Jadon Sancho and Harry Maguire.
4 FC Barcelona – €582.1m
Many might find it shocking that FC Barcelona is on this list amid their recent economic issues.
But interestingly Barcelona was the most valuable football club in the world in 2021 as for the first time they have ranked ahead of Real Madrid and Manchester United. They considered TV rights, player contracts, and costs in 2021.
Former star Lionel Messi, was a huge asset to the club’s history with the mercurial Argentinian contributing a significant amount to the club’s revenue commercially before his exit in 2021.
In 2022, the popular Catalan club made around €582.1 million in revenue after the club was hit with a significant decrease in its value which made them drop to fourth place in the world.
FC Barcelona was established in 1899. Rakuten has been Barcelona’s main shirt sponsor since the 2017/18 season, before signing an extension in November 2020, which will expire at the end of the 2021/22 season.
FC Barcelona is also one of the most popular football clubs in the world having signed some of the biggest stars in world football including Neymar, Luis Suarez, Antoine Griezmann, and very recently Robert Lewandowski.
3. Bayern Munich – €611.4m
Bayern Munich is the biggest football club in Germany. For years, The Bavarians have competed for every trophy at club level including the Champions League, Bundesliga, DFB-Pokal, DFL-Supercup.
The club is the richest soccer club in Germany, currently ranking third on the list.
Bayern Munich FC is also the world’s third most valuable football team this year, with an estimated annual revenue of €611.4m.
The club who have in recent times been dubbed the ‘Masters of the Bundesliga’ was established in 1900 and they have currently renewed a sponsorship agreement with T-Mobile, which sponsors their jersey & kits.
According to Wikipedia, FC Bayern Munich’s owners are Herbert Hainer, Adidas, FC Bayern Munchen AG, Audi, and Allianz SE. Bayern Munich also boast of some big-player signings in recent years, from Robert Lewandowski to Matthijs de Ligt as well as Lucas Hernandez and most recently Sadio Mane.
2. Real Madrid – €640.7m
It is certainly no surprise who comes next on this list. Real Madrid FC is unarguably the most followed football club on the planet. For many years, the club was the most valuable, richest, & wealthiest football team in the world.
Their position on the list just shifted slightly based on the annual revenue of the club in 2022. Real Madrid FC is currently the world’s second most valuable football team, with an estimated value of €640.7 million.
The club which was established in 1902 has seen a host of the biggest stars in world football come and ply their trade at the Santiago Bernabeu including Cristiano Ronaldo, Gareth Bale, Eden Hazard, James Rodriguez, Kaka, David Beckham and a host of other stars.
Emirates, a well-known airline, is the official sponsor of Real Madrid’s jersey and the club are the most successful club in both La Liga and the Champions League.
1. Manchester City is the richest football club in 2022 with revenue of €644.9 million
For the first time in its history, Manchester City has been named the richest club in the Deloitte Money League with an estimated value of €644.9 million.
Manchester City is joined in the top ten list for 2022 by Manchester United, Liverpool, Chelsea, and Tottenham Hotspur, with the Premier League accounting for nearly half of this rich list.
The Covid-19 pandemic has resulted in a power shift, with Man City now finishing ahead of Real Madrid, Bayern Munich, and Barcelona in the most recent annual report.
Despite their recent success, Manchester City FC has an estimated value of €644.9m this year, putting it at the top of the list of the world’s richest football teams.
The club is also regarded as one of the wealthiest in world football. Etihad Airways is the sponsor of Manchester City’s jersey. The club is also notorious for high-profile signings including club legend Sergio Aguero, Kevin de Bruyne and most recently Erling Haaland.
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