€260m drop in two years - More proof of Barcelona’s financial crisis

FT Desk

• 21 Mar 2022 10:11 CDT
• 3 min read

Barcelona undoubtedly kicked off this week in high spirits after thumping league rivals Real Madrid 4-0 in Sunday’s El Clasico.

Not only was it a showcase of the club’s turnaround under young manager Xavi, but it was also a tremendous team performance that got the best out of the club’s January signings, as Ferran Torres and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang laid waste to Madrid’s back line.

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However, while the club may be doing well on the pitch, their situation off it remains as precarious as ever and that was perfectly underlined in the latest Money League report from Deloitte.

Every year the financial firm calculates and ranks the richest clubs in European football, highlighting the rises and falls of each super club’s bank balance. And it wasn’t good reading for Barca fans.

Barcelona’s falling revenue

In the last available financial results, Deloitte reported that Barca’s revenue fell from €713.4 million in 2020 to just €582.1 million in 2021. Not only is that a notable dip of €131.3m, but it’s also no less than 18% less than it was the year before.

Not only did that loss of revenue see the club drop to fourth in European football, behind Manchester City, Real Madrid and Bayern Munich, but it also indicated that Barca’s revenue has dipped to a level not seen since the 2013/14 season.

Indeed, when we consider that Barca’s revenue hit a peak of €841m in 2019, it would suggest that the club’s income streams have fallen by no less than 30% in just two years, which goes some way to explaining why the likes of Lionel Messi, Philippe Coutinho and Antoine Griezmann have all left in one shape or form over the past six months.

Much of this drop in income is undoubtedly due to COVID, which has limited the club’s ability to make money from matchday events. Over the past two years Barca’s revenue from selling tickets and merchandise in the stadium has fallen from €158m in 2019 to just €16m last season.

However, that’s not the only issue. Deloitte also reported that the club’s commercial income stood at an impressive €384m in 2019, but has fallen by €107m to just €277m in the past two years as well.

As such, while Barca may look back on track on the pitch, they still have some way to go until they’re back to their best off it.