Manchester City fall behind Galatasaray in merchandising revenue as UEFA reveal all on club finances | OneFootball

Premier League champions Manchester City have ranked behind Galatasaray and nine other clubs in European football in kit and merchandising revenue, according to UEFA.

That metric in isolation comes off the back of a groundbreaking campaign for Puma in relation to the Premier League champions’ kit releases, having unveiled a range of four on-field match designs for the first time in the club’s history.

Having implemented an ‘0161’ Greater Manchester area code-inspired graffiti design into the home shirt, taken inspiration from the 1999 play-off final for the away strip, and turned to the ever-popular maroon and gold combination for a third shirt, a fourth kit was also designed.

That saw Manchester City turn towards music giants Oasis and band member Noel Gallagher, who took inspiration from the ‘Definitely Maybe’ album cover on its 25th release anniversary to bring together a match shirt worn in European competition by Pep Guardiola’s players.

But it appears as though the decisions taken when it comes to match shirt design and overall releases via the club shop that not enabled Manchester City to compete to the level perhaps expected, according to a range of data issued by UEFA.

According to UEFA’s European Club Finance and Investment Landscape report, Manchester City have ranked 2nd in European football for the greatest revenue generated throughout 2024, behind only Real Madrid.

Los Blancos’ €1.07 billion in annual revenue leads Manchester City’s €854 million, while the reigning Premier League champions are followed by Paris Saint-Germain’s €808 million, Manchester United’s €771 million, and Bayern Munich’s €765 million in the top-five.

As for commercial revenue, Real Madrid (€458M) and Manchester City (€415M) retain the same rankings, while Barcelona (€383M) replace Bayern Munich (€370M) in the top-five, accompanied by Manchester United (€383M) and Paris Saint-Germain (€376M).

Manchester City once again rank second but this time when it comes to their total wage bill with an outlay of €554 million; second to Paris Saint-Germain’s eye-watering €658 million spend.

Real Madrid come in at third for this metric with €505 million followed by fellow La Liga side FC Barcelona and €476 million, and Liverpool’s €449 million to once again complete a top-five placement.

Cumulative squad cost also brings Manchester City in as the second most expensive in European football, behind only Chelsea as Premier League clubs make up the top-four places, according to UEFA’s report.

Perhaps the most interesting development according to UEFA’s report concerns City and the revenue generated through ‘kits and merchandising‘, placing the Etihad Stadium club outside of the top-10 in European football and behind the likes of Galatasaray and Tottenham.

For now, Manchester City will no doubt remain confident in their own business model and strategy despite the off-field challenges that face the club in a legal sense, and the expected additional spend on transfer activity centred around the first-team squad this summer.

Chairman Khaldoon Al Mubarak has often pointed towards Manchester City’s sustainability as a business these days on a financial front, and the additional income to be brought in via the FIFA Club World Cup this summer will go a long way in offsetting spends on new players.