According to Soccerex Football Finance 100, Paris Saint-Germain is the club with the greatest financial power in world football. No big deal… 💁♂️
It’s the first time in the report’s three-year history that a club has finished above Manchester City. Other clubs treading in PSG’s wake include FC Bayern Munich (3rd), Tottenham Hotspur (4th), Real Madrid (5th), Arsenal (6th), Chelsea FC (7th), Liverpool FC (8th), Juventus FC (9th), and Borussia Dortmund (10th).
Surprisingly, FC Barcelona is way back in the pack in 12th place and the once-great Manchester United is even further back in 16th place behind clubs like RB Leipzig (13th) and Guangzhou Evergrande Taobao (15th) of the Chinese Super League.
The report considers five different variables (squad value, tangible assets, cash in the bank, owner potential investment, and net debt) to come up with a Football Finance Index (FFI) score.
Using reports published by reputable outlets such as UEFA, The Financial Times, Bloomberg, Yahoo Finance, Forbes, Transfermarkt and Hoovers, Soccerex analyzed data from the 2017-18 financial year to compile their extensive list with the goal being to rank the financial potential of each club.
PSG and Manchester City are the clear run-aways in the list with an FFI score of 5.318 and 5.197 respectively. Bayern Munich are a distant third with an FFI score of 3.888.
Having two of the most valuable players in the world will certainly help boost your financial standing but the report cites PSG’s increase in cash reserves, which was five times the increase of City, as a major contributor to their first-place finish. Another major factor was debt management. PSG had a €70 million reduction while Manchester City’s saw an increase of more than €90 million.
PSG may have benefited from a cash-infusion from Qatar Sports Investments in 2011, but, you cannot deny that they have built a self-sustaining football club that should be able to generate its own money and be a major player on the European stage for years to come.
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