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The 2016-17 Deloitte Football Money League rankings have been announced, with the Red Devils retaining top spot, but who else makes the top 20?

Manchester United have been named as the highest revenue generating club in world football for a tenth time, topping the 2016-17 Deloitte Football Money League with an income of €676 million (£581m).

United were awarded  €44.5m in payments from UEFA for winning the Europa League last season, over four times more than Atletico Madrid recieved for claiming the trophy in the 2011-12 campaign, which was enough to place them above Real Madrid in second. 

The Liga giants claimed the Spanish top-flight title in 16-17, as well as the Club World Cup, the Spanish Super Cup and their second Champions League trophy in as many years. Their success led to the club generating €674.6m (£579.7m) of revenue, though it was not enough to surpass United as the richest club. The €1.7m margin between the two superclubs is the narrowest ever recorded.

Barcelona rank third in Money League with a revenue of €648.3m (£557.1m), with Bayern Munich (€587.8m/505.1m), and Manchester City (€527.7m/£453.5m) completing the top five.

A record ten English clubs feature in the top 20, generating a total revenue of €3.8bn, helped by the fact that 16-17 was the first season of the current record Premier League broadcast rights deal.

Tim Bridge, senior manager in the Sports Business Group at Deloitte, comments: “The Deloitte Football Money League has a particularly English feel this year and with the new broadcast deal and UEFA competition performance driving broadcast revenue growth of over half a billion pounds for those in the top 20, it doesn’t come as a surprise. As the Premier League is currently in the middle of its rights tender for the next cycle from 2019/20, the results of this will be crucial to determining the long term composition of the Money League.”

Three clubs from Germany, three from Spain, three from Italy and one from France feature in the top 20.

Dan Jones, partner in the Sports Business Group at Deloitte, said: “European football continues to flourish financially, with almost half a billion Euro of revenue growth for the top 20 Money League clubs. And at the top, we’ve seen the closest ever battle for the top spot, with Manchester United pipping Real Madrid to retain their title of the highest revenue generating club in the world. United generated £581m in 2016/17."

In total, the combined revenue of the top 20 clubs grew six per cent to €7.9bn, a new Money League record, but how do the clubs rank overall? Goal takes a look.

Getty Images20EVERTON

2016-17 revenue: €199.2m | £171.2m

Advertisement19NAPOLI2016-17 revenue: €200.7m | £172.5mGetty18SOUTHAMPTON2016-17 revenue: €212.1m | £182.3mENJOYED THIS STORY?

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Getty Images17WEST HAM2016-17 revenue: €213.3m | £183.3m

Raphael Varane will reportedly be using Harry Maguire as inspiration at Manchester United, with the World Cup winner losing his starting berth.

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Ex-France international stuck on the benchEngland centre-half has taken his placeRed Devils willing to shuffle their packWHAT HAPPENED?

Despite savouring World Cup glory with France back in 2018, while landing four Champions League crowns during his days at Real Madrid, Varane has found himself stuck on the bench of late as Red Devils boss Erik ten Hag shuffles his defensive pack.

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Eyebrows have been raised as Varane is forced to fill a role among the substitutes, with former United captain Maguire – who appeared destined to be heading out of Old Trafford at one stage as he was frozen out of the starting XI – returning to favour as Ten Hag seeks a winning formula.

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According to , Varane has “accepted the decision is a tactical one” and that there is “always a way back for a player under Ten Hag”. Questions have, however, been asked of how he has taken the news of being a substitute – with there little interaction with United’s coaching staff when being introduced in the 79th minute of the Red Devils’ 1-0 Premier League win over Luton.

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Ten Hag has sought to justify his decision to drop Varane when quizzed on the subject, saying: “Harry is playing very well and there is internal competition." Maguire and Lindelof have become United’s go-to centre-half partnership, but further tactical tinkering remains a distinct possibility and Varane is willing to bide his time and wait for another opportunity to come his way.

Harry Kane has posted a touching tribute to Franz Beckenbauer after the death of the Bayern Munich legend.

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Kane posts tribute on InstagramBeckenbauer died on MondayEngland striker joined Bayern in summerWHAT HAPPENED?

Kane took to social media on Monday after Beckenbauer's death was announced, and joined a deluge of tributes from across the football world. The former defender, of course, became one of the greatest footballers of all time during his time in the Bundesliga, and he won the league both as a player and a manager in Bavaria.

AdvertisementWHAT HARRY KANE SAID

Kane quoted Bayern's own tribute to Beckenbauer and wrote: "In my time at the club so far it's clear what he meant to Bayern and to football in this country. My thoughts are with his family and friends."

InstagramTHE BIGGER PICTURE

Kane only joined Bayern in the summer but has had a remarkable start to life in the Bundesliga. In 15 league games thus far, he has scored 21 goals. Bayern are currently second in the table, however, four points behind leaders Bayer Leverkusen with a game in hand.

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Getty ImagesWHAT NEXT FOR BAYERN?

They are likely to pay tribute to one of their greatest ever players in their next fixture. Bayern face Hoffenheim on Friday.

Glen Chapple reached 900 first-class wickets for Lancashire but it was the craft of Ian Bell that stood out at Old Trafford

Paul Edwards at Old Trafford21-Apr-2014
ScorecardWayne White ended Ian Bell’s excellent innings•Getty ImagesForget, for a moment, that Ian Bell plays for England. County cricket is relevant in its own right, not merely as some sort of massive academy for the national side. It is perfectly possible to consider Bell’s fine 75 on the second day of the game against Lancashire simply in the context of this match and not as some sort of preparation for future examinations.Coming to the wicket with his team well-placed on 144 for 2, Bell made a substantial contribution to his side taking a 69-run lead with one wicket left to fall in this well-contested match. In doing so, he produced a gem of an innings, a 162-ball master-class generously sprinkled with fine shots in both defence and attack.Michael Henderson once wrote about the aesthetic satisfaction to be derived from watching Mark Ramprakash play a forward defensive shot, and it is possible to be similarly enriched by some of Bell’s strokeplay. There were fine drives aplenty and a trademark six over long-on off Simon Kerrigan, but there were also carefully calibrated pushes and deflections, each of them enjoyable in its own right as a tiny piece of craftsmanship.At such moments it was not only possible to forget that Bell plays Test cricket; one could also forget the little matter of his allegiance, and simply savour the artistry.It is important to remember Bell’s innings because, by the end of the day, his effort had been a trifle overshadowed by an excellent response from Lancashire’s seamers, who took five wickets for 47 runs in ten overs in the final session and keep Warwickshire’s lead within the realm of the manageable.That fightback was led by Tom Smith, who had both Tim Ambrose and Chris Woakes caught behind by Buttler in successive overs and finished the day with 4 for 67. Wayne White’s contribution in bringing one back off the seam to uproot Bell’s leg stump and then having Jeetan Patel caught at the wicket was also invaluable. By the end of the day Lancashire’s players could anticipate a parity which had seemed rather unlikely in the first two sessions of play.For himself, Bell, who is currently Warwickshire’s stand-in captain, would certainly place his own innings in the context of the game and pay tribute to the work of openers Varun Chopra and William Porterfield, whose 127-run partnership for the first wicket laid secure groundwork for the construction of their sizeable total.The openers had more than doubled their side’s overnight score when Porterfield rather gave his innings away by driving Kerrigan loosely to Wayne White at mid-off. This was a shame, not least because he had played well, especially when dismissively pulling James Anderson into a building site for six.Following Porterfield’s departure for 77, his first Championship fifty since May 2012, Chopra made his way carefully towards lunch and had very nearly achieved his immediate objective when trapped on the crease by Chapple for 52.That, as both players and the public address announcer Matt Procter recognised, was Chapple’s 900th first-class wicket for Lancashire. He became the 15th Lancastrian to achieve the feat, the first of any type to do so since Jack Simmons and the first seamer since Ken Higgs.By the end of the day Chapple’s tally was 901, meaning that he had equalled the total achieved by left-arm spinner Cecil Parkin, a clown-prince of a bowler who used to croon the 1920s favourites Tea for Two or Lily of Laguna as he made his way back to his mark. One rather doubts that Chapple sings at all as he trudges through his fine spells; were he to do so, though one certainly can’t believe that they would be much like the genial ditties beloved of dear old Cec.

Matt Prior has decided to stand down from Test cricket for the rest of the summer due to injury. Prior has been suffering from an Achilles problem and will have an operation to rectify the issue

ESPNcricinfo staff21-Jul-2014Matt Prior has decided to stand down from Test cricket for the rest of the summer due to injury. Prior has been suffering from an Achilles problem and will have an operation to rectify the issue that has hampered his performances this season.Matt Prior has struggled this summer•Getty ImagesPrior has also been affected by quad and hand injuries and has been noticeably less mobile behind the stumps in four Tests this summer. He has only managed one half-century but his wicketkeeping has caused most concern with several missed chances and at Lord’s equalling the record for most byes conceded in an innings for England.”I’m not doing justice to myself and more importantly the team and that is what matters first and foremost,” Prior told the . “I tore my quad before the first Test and my right hand has been beaten to a pulp, but the main issue is the Achilles.”Now we have the time, I want to be pro-active about how we deal with it so I imagine that I’ll have an operation. I’ve always said as long as I can do my job I will manage the pain and get on with it, but it has now got to the point where I can’t do my job to the level I expect of myself.”The candidates to replace Prior

Jos Buttler The favourite for the role. Has proved himself a hugely talented batsman, but is in his first season as a full-time wicketkeeper in county cricket. Likley to be picked if the selectors feel that his early exposure – and the inevitable mistakes – will not damage his long term development.

Chris Read At almost 36, probably past his peak, but remains a fine gloveman and a far better batsman than when he last played Test cricket in 2007. A calm head and a successful captain of Nottinghamshire, could be the man if England are looking for a short-term solution.

James Foster Rated by some as the best wicketkeeper in the world and by Jack Russell as the best there has ever been, would certainly improve England’s fielding. With Ben Stokes currently at No. 8, they could probably accommodate his more than respectable batting too.

Jonny Bairstow Took the gloves for the final two Tests of the Ashes in Australia but has slipped down the pecking order surprisingly quickly. Did not look an especially polished keeper in Australia and also has some batting flaws. But it is not so long since he hammered an impressive 95 against South Africa.

Prior failed to appear in the majority of Sussex’s County Championship matches at the start of the season and had kept in only one full four-day match before the first Test against Sri Lanka. During that match he made his only significant score of the summer – a first innings 86 – before becoming beset by problems against the short ball, in addition to his shortcomings behind the stumps.Prior’s absence opens the door for England’s one-day wicketkeeper Jos Buttler to make his Test debut in the third Test at the Ageas Bowl, a selection there was great clamour for at the start of England’s Test summer.The arrival of Buttler could mean Prior’s 79th Test cap at Lord’s could be his last, even if he does manage to regain full fitness.”It is a huge decision and not one I’ve taken lightly obviously because I could have played my last game,” Prior said. “Playing for England is the greatest honour you can have in the game and that is my motivation to come back and try and play again in the best possible condition.”I’ve made my decision for the good of the team and whoever comes in I genuinely wish them the best of luck and hope they go well and perform and help the team win. That is all I want.”

One of the biggest names in world cricket will feature in the T20 Blast next season with Northamptonshire signing Pakistan allrounder Shahid Afridi.

ESPNcricinfo staff26-Jan-2015One of the biggest names in world cricket will feature in the T20 Blast next season with Northamptonshire signing Pakistan allrounder Shahid Afridi.But the deal, which is still subject to clearance from the Pakistan Cricket Board, highlights the difficulties counties have in attracting big names for the competition. Afridi will only be available for the first six matches.Nevertheless, 34-year-old Afridi, one of the most dangerous hitters in the game and a canny legspinner, is capable of putting Northants in a strong position to qualify from the 14-match group stage.Afridi, a veteran of 77 T20 internationals, last appeared in county cricket in 2012, the second of his two-year stint with Hampshire, for whom he took 19 wickets at 12.57.”This is a very exciting signing for us,” head coach David Ripley said. “Shahid is without doubt the most outstanding spin-bowling allrounder in one-day international cricket of the last five years. He is a fierce competitor and undoubted match-winner with bat and ball.”He brings a wealth of experience to the dressing room with over 230 Twenty20 games as well as captaining his Country.”Northants will be looking for a healthier campaign next season after a 2014 that saw them meekly surrender their famously-won title, winningly only four of their 14 group matches.Afridi added: “I am looking forward to playing in the T20 Blast. I have always enjoyed playing in England, where I have always found the crowds good natured and knowledgeable.”I am very happy to be joining a good Northants squad in the search for Twenty20 success.”

Ireland will play two ODI’s against Sri Lanka early next season. The games will serve as a warm-up for Sri Lanka’s tour of England and could clip the involvement of Sri Lanka’s players in IPL still further

David Hopps03-Jan-2014Ireland play two ODI’s against Sri Lanka early next season. The games will serve as a warm-up for Sri Lanka’s tour of England and could clip the involvement of Sri Lanka’s players in IPL still further.It remains to be seen whether Sri Lanka Cricket will enforce their policy that their players must put internationals ahead of participation in IPL for matches involving an Associate nation.If they do, it will not rest easily with Sri Lanka’s IPL contingent, who would have preferred the Ireland trip to take place after the England tour in late June when a cursory examination of the fixture calendar suggests there does seem to be an opportunity.The announcement of the Ireland tour comes barely a month before the IPL auction on February 12 when franchises have been given the liberty to make substantial changes to their squads.It also comes on the same day that Sanath Jayasuriya, the Sri Lanka chief selector, questioned Thisara Perera’s work ethic and asked him to work harder as the board moved to deny the allrounder permission to participate in the Big Bash League.Ireland’s coach Phil Simmons certainly sounded confident of the involvement of Sri Lanka’s IPL crew in the matches – both scheduled for Clontarf on Tuesday May 6 and Thursday May 8 – when he flew off to Sri Lanka, coincidentally, for a two-week tour with the Ireland A squad.”It’s a fantastic opportunity for our squad to face players of the calibre of Kumar Sangakkara, Angelo Matthews, Tillakaratne Dilshan and of course Lasith Malinga,” he said. “They’re going to be tough opposition but Irish conditions in May will be to our advantage.”Now even matches against Associate nations are clashing with IPL, it does beg the question yet again why there is not more appetite within the Indian board and the ICC for arranging a suitable gap in the calendar – whether official or not – for the biggest and most lucrative domestic T20 tournamentSimmons, though, had reason to be delighted. “Ireland need as many matches as possible against Full Member sides: it’s how we measure ourselves now in terms of our cricketing progress,” he said. “We’ll be gearing our preparation towards the 2015 World Cup, and this series is ideal.”Last year couldn’t have gone much better in terms of the fact that we won three trophies and continued our domination against our fellow Associates. We did, however, miss opportunities to claim victories against both Pakistan and England when in strong positions.”We’ll be looking to take our cricket to the next level in 2014 by winning from these types of situations, pressing home our advantage when we’re on top.”Warren Deutrom, Cricket Ireland’s chief executive, said: “We are most grateful to Sri Lanka Cricket for giving us this opportunity. It is clear to all in the game that our performances against the Full Members are becoming increasingly competitive in all formats, and this is another opportunity for us to convert strong match positions into ranking points.”Along with our series in the Caribbean and the World T20 this is a strong start to the year and, win or lose, another chance to demonstrate that we belong at this level.”Sri Lanka, who have only visited Ireland once before, might find that the “warm-up” means something quite different in Clontarf in early May.Their previous visit was at Eglinton in 1979 when Ivan Anderson’s century helped Ireland secure a draw in the first-class match.In more recent times Ireland lost their only ODI encounter by eight wickets in the 2007 World Cup, a game which marked the end of Adi Birrell’s tenure as Ireland coach. The teams met again in a thrilling game at Lord’s during the 2009 ICC World Twenty20, when Ireland lost by just nine runs to the eventual finalists.

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Loads of Leeds fans have been giving their verdict on the setback against Norwich, and they’re fuming with the performance of Luke Ayling.

Leeds lost their spot as the kings of the castle on Saturday evening, falling into second place in the table as Norwich thumped three goals past them at Elland Road.

Mario Vrancic opened the scoring with a delightful free kick that Kiko Casilla had absolutely zero chance of stopping, and Teemu Pukki got one of the easiest goals of his life after Adam Forshaw had given the ball away in midfield.

Thogden has ranked his top 5 sets of Championship away fans for Pl>ymaker FC. Did your club make the list? Find out in the video below…

Vrancic added a third in the second half when his deflected effort snuck through the legs of Casilla, and Patrick Bamford’s late header was little more than a consolation.

Ayling has been a popular figure at Elland Road over the last couple of years, but the versatile defender is having a poor season.

Perhaps it is a result of the two knee injuries he has suffered over the last 18 months, but the 27 year-old has the turning circle of a cruise ship and the passing ability of Caleb Ekuban on roller skates.

That may be a little harsh, but the right-back was constantly caught in possession against Norwich and it’s not the first time this season he has been completely off the pace.

You can find some of the best Twitter reactions down below, look away now Luke…

The Delhi court hearing Ajit Chandila’s bail plea has deferred its ruling to September 5

ESPNcricinfo staff03-Sep-2013The Delhi court hearing Ajit Chandila’s bail plea has deferred its ruling to September 5. The ruling was expected on Monday but, according to , additional sessions judge Dharmesh Sharma said he first needed clarifications on some points from both Delhi Police and the defence.During the hearing, advocate Rakesh Kumar, appearing for Chandila, told the court his client had been “falsely implicated” in the spot-fixing case and had no link with either Dawood Ibrahim or his aide Chhota Shakeel, among India’s most wanted criminals. The Delhi Police, he said, had “mischievously added” provisions of the Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act (MCOCA) to their charges, so that the accused could not get bail.Chandila’s lawyer argued that police had not been able to satisfy another trial court – which had granted bail on June 10 to Sreesanth and Chavan, along with 17 others – on this count. While granting those two cricketers bail, the judge had said Delhi Police had not produced enough evidence to charge the players under MCOCA.However, after naming the three cricketers among 39 people in a 6000-page chargesheet at the end of July, Delhi Police had lodged a plea with a Delhi trial court to cancel Sreesanth’s and Chavan’s bail. The two were then issued bail notices by the court, and would have to respond, giving reasons as to why their bail should stand; it was understood then that the investigation had progressed to a point where the police believe the MCOCA law can be invoked.

Bangladesh fell 140 runs short of their expected first innings score, according to Bangladesh allrounder, Shakib Al Hasan

Mohammad Isam in Mirpur27-Jan-2014Bangladesh fell 140 runs short of their expected first innings score, according to Shakib Al Hasan. The allrounder made his 15th half-century, and alongside Mushfiqur Rahim, gave the total some propriety as it was descending swiftly at one stage.The openers almost played out the first hour until one bad shot was followed by errors in judgment, opening up the game as early as the first drinks break. Shakib felt that it should have been the other way around, as the Mirpur surface didn’t have any devils.”I thought the wicket was good when I was batting,” Shakib said. “If we had batted to our usual ability, we could have scored 375 in the first innings. We are behind in the game now, mainly because it is hard to get wickets on this surface, and scoring runs is becoming easier.”Shakib explained that it wasn’t just bad batting or great bowling, but a combination which saw the first four wickets lost for 59 runs. Shakib and captain Mushfiqur Rahim added 86 for the fifth wicket but once they were dismissed, the home side were wrapped up for a low score. “When we started well, it didn’t seem like the batsmen were having problems. Nobody said this in the dressing room, even after getting out.”It was a combination of them bowling well and mistakes from us. We should have batted better, particularly due to the standards we have reached. We batted quite well in the first eight overs.”Shakib was sure that the short ball was handled better and although he didn’t publicly complain about the umpiring, he did convey what Nasir Hossain had said after his dismissal. There was also some doubt about the Marshall Ayub and Mushfiqur Rahim leg-before decision. “Nasir told us that it hit his arm.”Shakib added: “TV replays can suggest something different. But in real time it is a little difficult to comment on such things. I played a bad shot, and we made a few mistakes too. The batsmen were not missing too many balls, or getting beaten. But it has happened, and now the responsibility is with the bowlers.”