- Manchester United made a staggering £581million during the 2016-17 season
- The Old Trafford outfit pipped Real Madrid to the top spot by just £1.5million
- It is the 10th time that the Premier League side have topped the Deloitte list
- There was a record-breaking 10 Premier League teams in the top 20 spots
Manchester United have retained their position as world football's top earners, according to the latest annual 'Money League' report by accountancy firm Deloitte.
United made £581million during the 2016-17 season, pipping Real Madrid to the top spot by just £1.5million, the closest margin in the rich list's 21 years.
It is the 10th time the Old Trafford club have topped the Deloitte list, with their Europa League success being crucial to holding off Real, whose 12th Champions League win helped them swap places with Spanish rivals Barcelona.
Manchester United have pipped Real Madrid to top Deloitte's 'Money League' report
Premier League giants United have now topped the Deloitte list for the 10th time
Bundesliga giants Bayern Munich held onto fourth spot and Manchester City stayed in fifth place with revenues of £454million. Arsenal climbed to sixth, swapping places with Paris Saint-Germain, and Chelsea, Liverpool and Juventus keep their places to round out the top 10.
In a statement, Deloitte Sports Business Group partner Dan Jones said: 'United's ability to retain first position is all the more impressive against the backdrop of the weakened pound against the euro.
'With both Real Madrid and Barcelona forecasting further revenue growth in 2017-18, the battle at the top will likely come down to on-pitch performance again next year.
'With all three clubs through to the round of 16 of the Champions League, it may be as simple as the club that goes furthest in the competition will have the best chance of topping the Money League next year.'
The Old Trafford side's winning Europa League campaign was worth £39million
United pipped Madrid by just £1.5million, the closest margin in the rich list's 21 years
United's Europa League campaign was worth £39million, a testament to both the size of the British market for televised football and UEFA's efforts to raise the profile of the competition.
Unlike some studies of football's finances, Deloitte excludes revenues from player-trading but its numbers confirm several recent reports by other organisations, most notably last week's report on European club football by UEFA. It also underlines the growing financial clout of the Premier League.
For example, Spurs overhauled Borussia Dortmund to take 11th place, with Leicester up six places to 14th, West Ham up one to 17th and Southampton and Everton new entries in 18th and 20th respectively.
Both Leicester and Southampton were buoyed by their involvement in European competitions but the Premier League's record-breaking 10 teams in the top 20 is also a result of the improved domestic television deal that kicked in that season.
Tottenham and Leicester are just two of 10 Premier League clubs who made the top 20 spots
In fact, Premier League clubs nearly took half of the top 30 places recorded by Deloitte, with Crystal Palace, West Brom, Bournemouth and Stoke in 26th to 29th place - Bournemouth's revenue of £136.8million last season was £135.7million higher than their equivalent figure in the Money League.
