Real Madrid Breaks Billion-Euro Revenue Barrier in 2025
According to financial specialists Deloitte, Real Madrid is the first football club to earn more than a billion euros in a single season, thanks to revenue produced by the rebuilt Santiago Bernabeu stadium.
The top three clubs in Deloitte’s annual Football Money League remained unchanged: Madrid (1.05 billion euros, $1.09 billion), Premier League champions Manchester City (838 million euros), and Paris Saint-Germain (806 million euros).
The 208-million-euro disparity between first and second is the largest Deloitte has ever documented.
The spectacular restoration of Real Madrid’s home increased matchday earnings to 248 million euros in the 2023/24 season.
Madrid has taken out loans totaling more than a billion euros since 2018 to restore the Bernabeu, with the goal of turning it into a key source of revenue.
The cutting-edge arena now features an undulating metal ceiling, shops, larger VIP spaces, and a retractable pitch.
Taylor Swift is among the big names who have performed at the stadium since it reopened, and the NFL will play its first game in Spain later this year.
However, Madrid’s plan to use the Bernabeu, which has a capacity of approximately 80,000, to earn additional revenue has been hampered by noise pollution concerns from homeowners, prompting the club to temporarily cease concert hosting.
“Club stadia are increasingly being valued as more than just matchday assets, with a number of clubs converting their grounds into multi-use entertainment venues that attract new visitors, sponsors, and retail opportunities,” said Tim Bridge, lead partner at Deloitte Sports Business Group.
Football clubs are now understanding the importance of becoming much more than just athletic brands, with media and entertainment becoming inextricably linked to the financial possibilities that they have to offer.”
Despite an 11% increase in matchday revenue, commercial remained the largest revenue source for the 20 Money League clubs for the second consecutive year, contributing for 44% of total revenue.
Broadcast revenue remained unchanged at 4.3 billion euros, since each of the “Big Five” leagues (England, Spain, Italy, France, and Germany) followed the same domestic broadcast cycle as the previous season.
English clubs continue to dominate, aided by Premier League television earnings, with six in the top ten and nine among the 20 Money League clubs.
Manchester United ascended to fourth place after returning to the Champions League (771 million euros), ahead of Bayern Munich (765 million euros).
Barcelona slid to sixth place as repair work on their Camp Nou stadium forced the Catalan giants to relocate to the smaller Montjuic, which hosted the 1992 Olympics.
Arsenal, Liverpool, Tottenham, and Chelsea round out the top ten, despite the latter three clubs missing out on the Champions League last season.
AFP
