The 2015-16 edition of Deloitte’s Football Money League has names Manchester United as the world’s highest grossing club in the world.
The study, which is the 20th annual check on the finances of the planet’s top clubs, has placed the Red Devils in pole position ahead of Barcelona and Real Madrid. Madrid slip to third having topped the standings when the previous edition was published 12 months ago.
United’s income has jumped dramatically over that intervening period from £395.2 million to £515.3m. That gives them a significant advantage of over 10 per cent to second-placed Barcelona (£463.8m) and third-placed Madrid, who are less than £100,000 behind their great rivals.
Bayern Munich and Manchester City each move up one spot to complete the top five, with Paris Saint-Germain sliding down to sixth as a result.
Arsenal, Chelsea, Liverpool and Juventus round out the top 10, each unchanged from seventh to 10th respectively.
Two new clubs break into the top 20, with West Ham moving into 18th and Premier League champions Leicester City sneaking in at 20th following their dramatic success last season.
The headlines, though, are dominated by United, who move back to the dominant spot in the League for the first time since 2003-04. It is the first time in 11 years that Real Madrid have not taken first place.
United’s revenue is the highest ever recorded for a football club