Most Profitable Clubs – 2022

Following up on our article on the biggest performers of 2022, we have also taken a look at finances, picking out the most profitable teams and the year’s biggest spenders.

We have used data from the 2022 Deloitte Football Money League, which covers revenue from the 2020/21 season.

5. Manchester United (€558m)

First in 2017, Manchester United have steadily dropped down the rankings in subsequent years as the club strives to get back to the top on and off the pitch. The Red Devils did at least secure a substantial rise in broadcast revenue, although the same is true of other Premier League clubs.

4. Barcelona (€582.1m)

First place in last year’s Deloitte Football Money League, Barcelona slipped all the way down to fourth after their income dropped by 18 percent. The Blaugrana embraced a risky financial model in 2022, in effect selling off future revenue streams in return for an immediate cash injection.

3. Bayern Munich (€611.4m)

Bayern Munich remain the Bundesliga’s biggest beast, generating almost double the revenue of Borussia Dortmund, the second-most profitable club in Germany. Their proceeds fell by seven percent in the latest set of accounts, while they are the only side in the top five whose commercial revenue accounts for a majority of the total.

2. Real Madrid (€640.7m)

Real Madrid suffered a seven percent drop in revenue between 2019/20 and 2020/21, but they still took in plenty of money. Now that the Estadio Santiago Bernabeu has been renovated, the Blancos are set to increase their matchday earnings in the years to come.

1. Manchester City (€644.9m)

For the first time ever, Manchester City generated more revenue than every other football club in Europe. Their income increased by 17 percent from the previous edition of the Deloitte Football Money League, allowing City to edge out Real Madrid at the top of the ranking.

Biggest Spending Football Clubs in 2022

The data in this section has been provided by Transfermarkt. Figures have been rounded up or down to the nearest whole number.

5. Tottenham Hotspur (€199m)

After persuading Antonio Conte to take over as manager in 2021, Tottenham backed him in the transfer market this year. Spurs added Rodrigo Bentancur and Dejan Kulusevski to their squad in the winter window, before signing the likes of Yves Bissouma and Richarlison in the summer. Conte will now attempt to lead the club to its first trophy in 15 years in 2023.

4. Juventus (€203m)

Juventus did not win a trophy in 2022, but they were right up there with the top spending clubs on the continent. The Bianconeri paid close to €100m to sign Denis Zakaria and Dusan Vlahovic in January, after which they splashed out triple figures on Bremer, Filip Kostic and others in the summer.

3. Barcelona (€208m)

Despite their myriad monetary issues Barcelona spent more than €200m in 2022, with their purchases funded by the controversial financial strategy we mentioned earlier. Among others, the Catalan club acquired Robert Lewandowski, Raphinha and Jules Kounde this year.

2. Manchester United (€240m)

After appointing Erik ten Hag at the end of last season, Manchester United proceeded to strengthen their squad with €240m worth of new talent. They signed Antony and Lisandro Martinez from Ten Hag’s former club Ajax, and also spent money on Casemiro and Tyrell Malacia.

1. Chelsea (€282m)

Like Manchester United, 100 percent of Chelsea’s spending in 2022 came in the summer transfer window. New owner Todd Boehly immediately made his mark, sanctioning deals which saw Raheem Sterling, Kalidou Koulibaly, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and others end up at Stamford Bridge.

Last updated: June 8th, 2023