FC Barcelona — which fired its manager on Monday — generated a record $933 million in revenue during the 2018–19 season, per Deloitte's annual report, making it the world's wealthiest soccer club for the first time.
Reproduced from Deloitte; Chart: Axios Visuals
How they did it: For much of the 21st century, Barcelona's merchandising operation was subcontracted out to Nike, the team's jersey sponsor. But when Nike's contract expired in 2018, Barcelona formed its own company to handle it — a move that appears to have paid dividends on the revenue front.
Go deeper: Soccer jerseys are prime real estate for advertisers and sponsors
