So valuable and expensive are the soccer teams of the Champions League 2018/2019

ISPO.com has gone through the current financial reports of all clubs and, based on statistics such as the KPMG Football Benchmark, has compiled a list of the most valuable clubs in the Champions League.

The ranking brings together the clubs with the highest profit after tax - and shows: If you manage well, you can make it into the top 10 even with little revenue.

Borussia Dortmund has a knack for buying players cheaply, transforming them into stars and selling them again at a high price. Ousmane Dembélé came from Stade Rennes for 15 million and left for FC Barcelona a year later for 100 million euros more, causing profits and goodwill to skyrocket.

Also noteworthy is the high revenue from marketing cooperations as well as TV rights - here BVB benefits from the strong German advertising market.

Since Paris Saint-Germain was bought by Qatar Sports Investments, the French have made the biggest transfers in the history of soccer: first Neymar for 222 million, then Kylian Mbappé for 135 million. For the new owners, the image value of owning one of the most expensive soccer clubs in the world is more important than pure turnover.

"With the signing of Neymar, they have secured not only an excellent soccer player, but a brand that will explode PSG's media value," concludes KPMG.

The surprise: Even though everything is gigantic at FC Barcelona, and marketing sales are twice as high as at FC Bayern, for example, the astronomical personnel costs of 670 million euros ensure a relatively low profit. "Player costs have risen by 59 percent within five years, Lionel Messi alone costs the Catalans 43 million euros a year," KPMG analyzes.

The management is responding with record deals: Nike is paying 150 million euros per season and the new Japanese shirt sponsor Rakuten is taking over the main sponsorship from Quatar Airways for 60 million. Interesting here: Barcelona's superstar Gerard Piqué and his partner, pop icon Shakira, arranged the first meeting in San Francisco. - Barche players are thus actively collaborating on the gigantic goodwill.

Strong balance sheet: Relatively low costs meet very high revenues from broadcasting rights as well as marketing cooperations. "Chelsea has secured the largest TV revenue in the Premier League at 189 million euros," says KPMG. In addition, there is €155 million from sponsors such as luxury watchmaker Hublot, headphone brand Beats as well as Nike.

A fascinating club: Benfica generates much less revenue than most teams in the Champions League, but its low personnel costs mean it makes almost as much profit after tax as billion-dollar companies Chelsea or Real Madrid.

"The Portuguese have the lowest costs of all Champions League clubs, but earn well from larger sales," KPMG points out. However, their weak social media presence is holding back marketing revenue.

Sales champion, second-highest company value in the Champions League, but extreme costs. KPMG analyzes: "By winning the Triple, Real has to pay very high bonuses." That's probably why they've agreed a new €70 million deal with Fly Emirates, Adidas is also committed to paying 70 million per season and a total of one billion over the next ten years.

Real also has the biggest sponsor line-up of any team in other respects, with Hugo Boss, Coca-Cola, Star, Audi, Nivea Men and Electronic Arts, who have developed an entire campaign around Real Madrid for the best-selling video game series of all time. Every year, ten million gamers buy the "FIFA" soccer simulation and Real collects royalties.

The up-and-comer of the year: Mainly due to the sale of French superstar Paul Pogba, Juventus earned 72.5 million and increased its profit tenfold compared to the previous year. The new season will be exciting: they paid 105 million for Cristiano Ronaldo, but also hope for significantly higher income from marketing and merchandising.

"90 percent of all clubs that increased their social reach also saw higher marketing revenue," according to KPMG. Ronaldo - heavier than Kim Kardashian with 138 million Instagram fans - is not only boosting media value, the share price also exploded after the mega-transfer.

The comeback: From a million-dollar deficit, the English have generated a plus of 39 million euros thanks to major deals. TV revenue is up 33 million, marketing is up 22, and ticket revenue is up 14.

Of interest to investors, Liverpool narrowly lost in the Champions League final to Real Madrid, which puts them in an excellent position to renew long-term contracts with major sponsors: New Balance is paying €335 million for a 5-year deal.

Although FC Bayern earns less than Real Madrid or FC Barcelona, it also has significantly lower costs and thus generates the second-highest profit of all Champions League teams. KPMG sums up: "FC Bayern has not only been winning the Bundesliga stably for years, but has also kept its personnel expenses stable, while revenue from marketing activities has been rising steadily."

Strategically clever was the purchase of Real star James Rodríguez: At 42 million euros, he was relatively cheap, but brings almost 40 million Instagram subscribers - three times as much as the club.

The richest club in the world: gigantic turnover, fat profit, 4.1 billion company value and 115.5 million fans on social media. ManU has been extremely successful and is going one better for this 2018 season: Adidas pays 80 million euros as outfitter and General Motors 65 million as main sponsor on the jersey.

The English also benefit from a billion-euro package for TV rights: Sky and BT Sports are paying a total of 5.1 billion euros for the exclusive Premier League rights, in which ManU will have a share. And a further three billion is due for the Champions League rights, which will inject fresh capital into the coffers of all Champions League participants.

The richest club in the world: gigantic revenues, thick profits, 4.1 billion euros in company value, and 115.5 million fans on social media. ManU is extremely successful, and is doing well again for this 2018 season: Adidas is paying 80 million euros as their outfitter, and General Motors 65 million as their main jersey sponsor.

The English club is also profiting from a multi-billion-euro package for TV rights: Sky and BT Sports are paying a total of 5.1 billion euros for the exclusive Premier League rights, in which ManU is involved. And another three billion is due for the Champions League rights, which will flush fresh capital into the coffers of all Champions League participants.