Moneyball: The World’s ‘Richest’ Football Clubs

Source: Statista

Over the past two decades, professional football has seen an unprecedented influx of money, reshaping the landscape of the sport on a global scale. The surge in financial means and change in the balance of power between clubs and leagues can be attributed to several key factors, notably the rapid growth of broadcasting deals and the emergence of billionaire owners and what are effectively state-sponsored clubs.

The English Premier League in particular has seen a staggering increase in broadcasting rights fees over the past two decades, with the amount paid for the league’s global media rights roughly quadrupling from $3.16 billion for the 2007-2010 period to $12.85 billion for the 2022-2025 period. This influx of broadcasting revenue has provided clubs with previously unimaginable financial resources, allowing them to invest heavily in player transfers, wages and state-of-the-art facilities.

In addition to broadcasting deals, the rise of billionaire owners has played a pivotal role in reshaping football’s financial landscape. Wealthy individuals from various industries have seized the opportunity to acquire football clubs, viewing them as lucrative investments with vast potential for growth.

Furthermore, the emergence of de-facto state-sponsored clubs has further intensified the financial arms race in football. Clubs like Manchester City and Paris Saint-Germain, majority-owned by government-backed investment funds from Abu Dhabi and Qatar, respectively, have transformed into financial powerhouses capable of outspending their competitors on transfer fees and wages. It has enabled them to assemble star-studded squads and compete at the highest levels of domestic and European competition, with Manchester City’s 2023 treble the latest testament to their financial and sporting superiority.

While the large influx of money has undoubtedly brought excitement and spectacle to the world of football, it has also raised concerns about financial fair play and the growing disparity between rich and poor clubs and leagues. Our latest Racing Bars video shows not only how revenue has increased for the world’s “richest” football clubs, but also tells the story of how the balance of financial power has shifted between leagues and clubs during the past two and a half decades.

Who Has Won the Asian Cup?

Source: Statista

Little more than a year after Argentina were crowned champions at the 2022 FIFA World Cup, Qatar is once again playing host to a major international football tournament, the AFC Asian Cup. Since its inauguration in 1956, the quadrennial tournament organized by the Asian Football Confederation has grown both in size and in stature. Following its latest expansion in 2019, the Asian Cup now involves 24 national teams from the Asian Confederation competing for a spot in the final, which will be held at Lusail Stadium on February 10.

According to the bookmakers, record champions Japan, South Korea and Iran are the favorites to win this year’s tournament, with Australia, Saudi Arabia and Qatar also in contention for the title. Host country Qatar will be particularly keen to follow up on their 2019 triumph, especially after a disappointing group stage exit at the World Cup last year. Among the favorites, Japan and South Korea are the only ones to have dropped points on the first two match days of the group stage, as Iraq stunned Japan in their 2-1 win on Friday and Korea needed an injury-time equalizer to avert a shock defeat against Jordan on Saturday. Both teams still have every chance to go through to the knockout stages, however, as the tournament’s format also see the four best third-placed teams from advance into the round of 16.

As our chart shows, no nation has won the Asian Cup more often than Japan, who lifted the trophy four times, most recently in 2011. South Korea dominated the early years of the competition with consecutive wins in 1956 and 1960 but has since been waiting for a third victory. With a squad including Premier League strikers Son Heung-min and Hwang Hee-chan as well as Bayern Munich defender Kim Min-jae, many think that this could be the year for the current generation of Korean players to make their mark at the international stage, but the start under new manager Jürgen Klinsmann has been underwhelming.

Infographic: Who Has Won the Asian Cup? | Statista