They may not have won any silverware during the 2013-14 season, but off the pitch Barcelona did very well indeed.
In a statement released on Tuesday by the Catalan club, they revealed a record income of $711 million over the past year plus managed to make a total profit of $55 million.
Not a lot of soccer clubs make profits these days, so that’s good going from Barca.
Javier Faus, Barcelona’s vice president of finance, presented the club’s financial report for 2013-14 and said it made money on it operations while reducing net debt.
We are not taking about a debt free club here (do those exist among European powerhouses anymore?) oh no... Although Barcelona reduced its net debt by $60 million, as of June 30 it still stood at $385 million. Faus took over the finances at Barca in 2010 and performed some self-celebratory trumpet blowing. Rightly so.
Since he took charge Barca have reduced their debt by $191 million and they have risen from 24th to second in Forbes ranking of the world’s most valuable clubs.
With Luis Suarez on board for the upcoming season, shirt sales are sure to go through the roof when he lines up alongside Lionel Messi and Neymar.
Like many of Europe’s top teams, Barca still have a long way to go until they balance the books but they are heading in the right direction.