Real Madrid beaten by Barcelona as Catalans announce record-breaking revenue

FC Barcelona have announced a record annual revenue of €530m (£395m), the highest in sporting history. The record had previously belonged to Barcelona’s arch-rivals Real Madrid, who enjoyed an annual revenue of €521m last season.

 

Madrid are yet to announce their revenue for the 2013/2014 season and although they could well reclaim top spot it is unlikely to affect the Catalans' happiness with their performance.

 

On top of their impressive revenue, Barcelona also earned €41m in net profit – the second highest total in their history – and reduced net debt by €44m.

It was far from a vintage year for the Blaugranas on the field – a trophyless season saw the club fail to reach the Champions League semi-finals for the first time since 2007 –  but vice President Javier Faus pointed to their climb from 24th to 2nd over the last four years in Forbes’ rankings of the most valuable sports teams as an example of the club’s progress off it.

 

In just eight years, Barcelona have also risen from 9th to 2nd in in Forbes’ rankings of most valuable football clubs.

Faus said: “We have grown more than any other club in the world. And we are the only club with so much potential to improve our contracts, and that will help reinforce our global presence.”

 

In recent years the club has expanded its global presence and corporate sponsorship deals. In 2010 the club agreed to carry a paid-for sponsor on their shirts for the first time, agreeing a €30m per season deal with the Qatar Foundation.

 

And revenue is likely to continue growing for Barcelona. The club recently announced plans to renovate the Camp Nou that would see capacity increase from 100,000 to 105,000 and a number of lucrative VIP services including luxury seating and ‘superboxes’ put in place.