The Manchester United squad that concluded the 2022-23 season was the most expensively-assembled team on record, a new report revealed this morning.
An official Uefa document, titled European Club Finance and Investment Landscape Report, says the Old Trafford club’s 2023 financial year-end squad cost a collective €1.42bn (£1.21bn), which topples the previous record of €1.33bn set by Real Madrid in 2020.
Manchester City, Chelsea and Real Madrid also had squads upwards of €1bn in value according to latest available financial figures but Chelsea’s latest disclosed figures do not include their January 2023 window, which saw them spend upwards of £320m.
Worth it?
United last season won the Carabao Cup at Wembley against Newcastle United but lost the FA Cup final to Manchester City and finished third in the Premier League.
The squad at the end of last season included £82m Brazil international Antony, £80m England defender Harry Maguire, £73m signing Jadon Sancho and Casemiro, the £60m Brazil midfielder.
Last summer saw them add Rasmus Hojlund, Andre Onana and Three Lions international Mason Mount to their roster but those additions do not count to the total. United then lost the likes of Fred, Anthony Elanga and Dean Henderson ahead of the 2023-24 season
Manchester United ownership
The report states that United have become one of 15 English Premier League clubs who are now part of multi-club groups given their new investment from Ineos founder Sir Jim Ratcliffe.
The report by Uefa adds that there were 31 majority stake purchases and seven minority stake purchases in 2023 of European teams by groups holding a stake in at least one club across the continent.
Andrea Traverso, Uefa’s director of financial sustainability and research, said: “More than 300 clubs are part of multi-club investment groups, leading to an increased risk of seeing two clubs with the same owner or investor facing each other in the same competition, creating potential integrity risks at the European level.
“The current context demands strict enforcement of cost control regulations and more harmonisation of financial rules between leagues. This is paramount to limit overspending, ‘creative finance’, and rules circumvention.
“As long as differences on key regulatory matters continue between leagues, inflationary tensions will persist, contributing to imbalances and instability.”