Europe’s 20 richest football teams defied the continent’s financial woes to generate total revenue of $5.8 billion last season, according to a new report by business advisory firm Deloitte.
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FC Barcelona
During the 2010/11 season, combined revenues for Deloitte’s "money league" clubs grew by 3 percent year-on-year, with nine of the clubs recording double-digit growth.
In comparison, the average growth rate for the European countries represented in the money league — Italy, Spain, France, Germany and the UK — was 1.3 percent in 2011, down from 1.7 percent the previous year.
For the fourth year running the top six clubs remained the same with Spain’s Real Madrid leading the way with revenue of $685.2 million. The next top performers were Barcelona (Spanish), Manchester United (English), Bayern Munich (German), Arsenal (English) and Chelsea (English).
Clubs achieving double-digit revenue growth included Barcelona, which grew by 13 percent to generate $644.1 million. It was trumped however by English club Tottenham Hotspur which grew by 36 percent and beat Manchester City to grab 11th place in the league.
Europe's 10 Highest-Revenue Soccer Teams, 2010/2011
| Team | 2010/2011 Revenue (millions) | |
| 1 | Real Madrid | $686 |
| 2 | FC Barcelona | $645 |
| 3 | Manchester United | $524 |
| 4 | Bayern Munich | $459 |
| 5 | Arsenal | $360 |
| 6 | Chelsea | $358 |
| 7 | AC Milan | $336 |
| 8 | Internazionale | $303 |
| 9 | Liverpool | $291 |
| 10 | Schalke 04 | $290 |
