LONDON (AP) — Real Madrid and Barcelona are soccer’s biggest moneymakers for the second successive year as the combined revenues of Europe’s top 20 clubs exceeded $5.5 billion for the first time.
The annual review of soccer finance by Deloitte showed that Madrid generated 438.6 million euros ($539.1 million) in the year ending last June 30, an increase of 20 percent as the club retained the top spot for the sixth straight year.
Barcelona, which beat Madrid for the Spanish title last year and won the 2009 FIFA Club World Cup, saw a more modest revenue increase of just under 10 percent to 398.1 million euros ($489.3 million).
The rivals’ supremacy is helped by the uneven distribution of broadcasting rights from Spanish competitions.
