Manchester United earned £139.5 million in prize money from the Premier League this season, according to The Athletic.
The Red Devils endured their worst campaign in the Premier League era as they slumped to a dismal 15th place finish with 42 points. They broke multiple (unwanted) records in terms of position, points, defeats and goals scored while offering up some of the most abject displays in the post-Sir Alex Ferguson malaise.
In fact, had Ruben Amorim’s side been transported into the 2002/03 season they would have been faced regelation as West Ham suffered that year despite accumulating 42 points – 40 is generally considered the threshold at which clubs are ‘safe’ from relegation.
It was only by virtue of the three promoted sides – Ipswich Town, Leicester City and Southampton – being destined for a return to the Championship before a ball was kicked this season that United were not drawn into an unimaginable relegation battle.
The Europa League final against Tottenham Hotspur had offered a chance to salvage success with victory in Bilbao rewarding the winner with Champions League qualification.
But, true to form, Amorim’s side failed to show up at the San Mames Stadium and slumped to a 1-0 defeat against Spurs, making it four losses against the Lilywhites this season.
It was an appalling spectacle which neither side deserved to win and was ultimately decided by a lucky deflected goal from Brennan Johnson.
And while a European trophy was a revelation for Spurs, even if it is the little brother of the main one, the only objective from the final for United had been entry into the Champions League – worth potentially as much as £100 million in revenue.
Missing out on this will dramatically alter the club’s transfer budget this summer with a host of reinforcements needed to overhaul Amorim’s squad. But United have banked a cool £139.5 million in prize money from their otherwise dismal Premier League campaign – only £42 million less than Liverpool who lifted the title.
The Premier League season is over — so how much did each side earn in prize money? pic.twitter.com/3HTbrnX0Hf
— The Athletic | Football (@TheAthleticFC) May 27, 2025
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Despite finishing 15th, the Red Devils place 12th in terms of revenue from this season, as per The Athletic’s estimations.
The final league position of teams generally reflected their ranking in the revenue table – e.g. Liverpool = 1, Arsenal = 2, Newcastle = 5, Brentford = 10 etc. – so it is a testament to the standing United still enjoys on a global scale that they climbed three ranks on their position.
It also reflects the sheer financial power of the Premier League within world football.
The champions of La Liga – Barcelona this year, Real Madrid the last – earn somewhere between €60 million to €90 million. So even if we accept the upper end of this range – €90 million (£75.5m) – it still is just 54% of what United stand to earn for finishing 15th in the Premier League.
Failing in England is far more profitable than succeeding in Spain it seems.
Featured image Alex Livesey via Getty Images
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Darragh Fox
Darragh is a writer for The Peoples Person who spent three years as a history graduate slowly realising football was by far the most interesting thing to write about.
