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'Matchday', the documentary series of Barça 1:43
(CNN) - Barcelona became the football club with the highest profits in the world, usurping the fierce rival Real Madrid on top of the Money League of Deloitte for the first time.
The new study found that Barça generated a record income of 935.9 million dollars (840.8 million euros) last season, becoming the third club to maintain the first position.
As a result, Real Madrid was in second place with 842.9 million dollars while Manchester United remained in third place.
- 2017: Manchester United beat Real Madrid as the most valuable club in the world
- 2018: Real Madrid surpasses Manchester United and becomes the richest club in the world
Despite the uncertainty in the field, with the recent dismissal of Ernesto Valverde, Deloitte says that Barcelona "is a clear example of a club that adapts to changing market conditions."
The report describes how the Catalan club has reduced its dependence on transmission revenue agreements and changed its focus on the revenue channels under its control.
The Spanish giant is expected to retain its first place for next year, so it could become the first billion-dollar Money League club in future seasons.
The positions are classified according to the ability of the clubs to generate income from factors such as ticket sales to parties, transmission rights and commercial sources, based on the 2018/19 season. Does not include money generated by player sales.
The 20 best clubs that earn the most money generated a staggering 10.3 billion in the 2018-19 season, an increase of 11% over the previous year.
Change in the English Premier League
Further on is Manchester United, which runs the risk of losing its position as the English Premier League club with higher revenues next year due to its diminishing performance in the field.
The Old Trafford team failed to qualify for the UEFA Champions League this season and is currently out of the qualifying places for next year's edition.
Deloitte says the revenue forecasted by the club for the current season "would likely see the club fall to its lowest position in the Money League in next year's edition."
However, United's current disappearance is good news for two of its fiercest rivals.
The European champion Liverpool retains its seventh place after a successful season and, since announcing a lucrative multi-year team agreement with Nike, can now start looking at the teams that are above them in the Money League.
The league's champion, Manchester City, meanwhile, dropped one place to the sixth but is likely to return to the top five next year if their new trade agreements are combined with a race in the Champions League this season.
The eighth ranked, Tottenham, rose to its highest position to become London's leading revenue-generating club for the first time since the 1996-1997 season.
Tottenham jumped over Chelsea and Arsenal, and the latter fell from the top 10 due to its continued absence from the most prestigious tournament in Europe.
Ronaldo's influence
Recovering his place in the top 10 is Juventus, and the Italian champion has a particular man to thank.
The arrival of Cristiano Ronaldo in 2018 has allowed the club to capitalize on its image, which has seen a 17% increase in revenue.
The talisman has more followers on Instagram than Real Madrid and Barcelona combined, which, according to Deloitte, "has certainly increased the commercial appeal of Juventus."
There are only two new teams to enter the top 20 this year with Olympique Lyonnais and Napoli rising to 17th and 20th respectively.
BarcelonaclubReal Madrid