Who are the biggest football financial champions?

The landscape in professional football has changed dramatically since the turn of the century, with money pouring into the sport at unprecedented rates.

Broadcasters, major sponsors, private investors and nation states have been eager to jump on the lucrative gravy train in recent years.

The juggernaut has shown no signs of slowing down, with money continuing to have an increasing influence on the way the sport operates worldwide.

With that in mind, read on as we look at the impact money has had on the football world, starting with the annual revenues generated by the top clubs.

Wealthiest football clubs

According to ExpressVPN’s recent report on football’s biggest earners, Reigning Premier League champions Manchester City are among the wealthiest football clubs globally based on yearly revenue, total market value, and club valuation.

The Abu-Dhabi owned club is reportedly valued at $5 billion having grown rapidly since it was acquired by Sheikh Mansour ibn Zayed Al Nahya in 2008.

However, Premier League rivals Manchester United ($5.3bn) and Liverpool ($5.29bn) are both ahead of Man City in the valuation stakes.

Current European champions Real Madrid are at the top of the pile on $6bn, followed by Barcelona who are valued at $5.51bn.

Highest-earning players

Cristiano Ronaldo’s move to the Saudi Pro League (SPL) at the end of 2022 raised plenty of eyebrows across the football universe.

The Portuguese striker’s eye-watering annual $219 million salary at Al-Nassr maintained his status as one of the highest-paid athletes in the world.

Karim Benzema is just behind Ronaldo in the earning stakes having been handed a yearly salary of $217m when he joined Al-Ittihad on a free transfer last year.

Neymar completes a Saudi-focused top three after signing a $162m per year contract when he signed for Al-Hilal in August 2023.

Record transfers

Given the amount of money sloshing around football, it is little wonder that transfer fees have threatened to spiral out of control in recent years.

Paris Saint-Germain were responsible for the two biggest deals, shelling out a combined $431m to sign Neymar and Kylian Mbappe in 2017.

While they recouped some of that outlay when Neymar moved to the SPL, they had their fingers burnt when Mbappe moved to Madrid on a free transfer this summer.

Ousmane Dembele, Philippe Coutinho, and Joao Felix are among the other players who have commanded bumper transfer fees over the past few years.

The cost of fandom

One of the biggest criticisms levelled at professional football in recent years is the industry’s failure to make the sport affordable for supporters.

Elements such as match tickets, merchandise and television subscriptions have made watching football an extremely costly business in recent times.

Newcastle United and Everton are reportedly the most cost-effective clubs to follow in the Premier League, while Borussia Dortmund offer the best value for money in the Bundesliga.

By contrast, Serie A outfit Roma are ranked as one of the most expensive clubs to follow, with the collective annual cost dwarfing many of their counterparts in European football.

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