Deloitte’s new Money League is up and Germany have added a club to the top 20.

Top 20 + Revenue
1. Real Madrid €401.4m (1st last year)
2. Barcelona €365.9m (3rd)
3. Man Utd €327.0m (2nd)
4. Bayern Munich €289.5m (4th @ €295.3m)
5. Arsenal €263.0m (6th)
6. Chelsea €242.3m (5th)
7. Liverpool €217.0m (7th)
8. Juventus €203.2m (11th)
9. Internazionale €196.5m (10th)
10. AC Milan €196.5m (8th)
11. Hamburg €146.4m (15th @ €127.9m)
12. Roma €146.4m (9th)
13. Lyon €139.6m (12th)
14. Marseille €133.2m (16th)
15. Tottenham Hotspur €132.7m (14th)
16. Schalke 04 €124.5m (13th @ €148.4m)
17. Werder Bremen €114.7m (unranked)
18. Borussia Dortmund €103.5m (unranked)
19. Man City €102.2m (20th)
20. Newcastle United €101.0m (17th)

Stuttgart dropped out, but Werder Bremen replaced them on the strength of their UEFA Cup final.

Meanwhile Dortmund seems to have put all of their financial woes behind them and joined the top 20. For one of Germany’s biggest clubs, it seems unnatural that they were absent for so long.

So with five of the top 20 clubs, Germany takes over sole second having passed Italy. Meanwhile Bayern held strong at the fourth spot, but lost ground to the top 3. Whereas last year, they were right on Barcelona’s tail; Bayern held position but Barca moved to second and United dropped to third, although Bayern Munich lost revenue and fell behind 3rd place by an additional €22 million. Granted, it was to the two finalists from last year’s Champions League. However it does show how finishing well in the premier competition can effect a club’s bottom line.

The interesting aspect to this is that Germany are 2 behind England in total teams on the table. However Newcastle, who currently hold 20th, will drop out next year due to being in the second division of English football.

Meanwhile, Stuttgart, who dropped out, but are still hovering near the cutoff, have a strong Champions League this year to possibly propel them back into the mix next year, which could see Germany equal England at 6 each. However, Bordeaux or Olympiacos, both hefty clubs could see themselves in the top 20 with a good Champions League run. Valencia or Benfica, who have both been in the top 20 within the past four years might return with a run to the finals of the Europa League.

See last years rankings here.

RheinEnergieStadion

I used the stats feature at ESPN Soccernet to calcluate the clubs with the best attendances. Out of the top 20 attendances in Europe, Germany had 9 clubs. This post is to equip you with a tool to help promote our great league. Because, while we are in a slump in the Champions League and don’t make all the news with £80 million transfers, we have the most competitive league, the funnest league and the best attended league in the world. And we’ll get a team back to the final of the UCL.

There are so many glorious clubs in Europe, yet half of the teams in the Bundesliga (from grand to average) inhabit the best attendance list. Bayern, Dortmund, Schalke, HSV, Hertha, Koln, Stuttgart and Frankfurt beat out the likes of Liverpool, Chelsea, Valencia, Atletico Madrid, Juventus, Roma, PSV, Ajax, Galatasary and Porto.

Spain, England and Italy will make claims to being the greatest league in Europe. And if you base it solely on recent Champions League performances, they have some validity. However, since 2000 Valencia, Juventus, Liverpool and Chelsea have all made the Champions League finals from these leagues. Yet none of these storied teams couldn’t outdraw Eintracht Frankfurt last year. That’s right: Eintracht Frankfurt!

And while I do recognize that stadium issues prohibit some clubs from doing better, the fact that they can’t get their act together to build a stadium just shows that Germany is the best run league out there. In the time it took Liverpool to create fancy sketches, Hoffenheim built a stadium.

Below is a table of the top 20 clubs, attendance-wise. I’ve noted the position in their league in relation to attendance (note that only England could get a third team in the list) as well as the clubs final position. Note that while other countries figures seem closely related to how well a club is doing (kudos to Newcastle United fans), Germany had 3 teams in this list that were in the bottom half of the table. So the next time somebody disparages our grand league or tries to tell you that there is only one big team in Germany, trot out these numbers.

Undoubtedly, the minute I post this, Ronaldo will give up on Real Madrid and move to Hamburg, so forgive me for being premature. Let’s take a look, as the season begins, at the seven best signing so far this summer in the Bundesliga.

7. Christian Fuchs (SV Mattersburg to Bochum)

   Austria entered the Euros as a laughing stock. By the time they gallantly exited after the defeat to Germany, there was a lot to be excited about. Perhaps that excitement will have to be tempered until 2012, when the class of last year’s U20 semi-finalists have taken over the team, but already Prodl, Harnik and Ozcan have gravitated towards our favorite league. Fuchs will be the first to make an impact. While Prodl should eventually wrestle the CB position from Naldo after the Brazilian finally causes Marcel Koller a heart attack, Fuchs will slot in immediately. And with a midfield in dire need of a talisman, he could well take that spot with his attacking flair down the left flank. Will he be enough to keep the relegation battlers up? Hard to tell, but he will be on this again next year, if they don’t stay up.

6. Mikael Forssell (Birmingham to Hannover)

   Hannover’s biggest issue is a forward line that wouldn’t bother most AYSO travel teams. Forssell is a proven goalscorer who should add bite to their midfield bottle. Also he could pair well with Mike Hanke, who has not thrived as the only threat for the continually improving Reds.

5. Tim Borowski (Werder Bremen to Bayern Munich)

   What to you do when part of your double pivot gets too old? Well when you’re FC Bayern, you take on a free player from your closest league rival. By securing the free transfer of German international Borowski (28) from Werder, Bayern gave themselves an upgrade in age and lateral move in ability from the Brazilian Ze Roberto (34) to partner Van Bommel in front of Schweinsteiger, Sosa, Altintop and Ribery.

4. Mario Eggimann (Karlsruhe to Hannover)

   I loved Eggimann last year. Everyone was so high on Hajnal as the reason for Karlsruhe’s success, and he definitely played his part; however, KSC’s great early run and subsequent survival was based on their outstanding defense, including the vastly underrated Markus Millar in goal and LB Christian Eichner. Eggimann will bring composure and organization to a team that flirted with a European spot last year. He is definitely an improvement over the likes of an ancient Tarnat in front of the solid Robert Enke.

3. Orlando Engelaar (Twente to Schalke) and Jefferson Farfan (PSV to Schalke)

   Suddenly Rutten seems poised to run a very tidy 4–2-3–1 with the ball winning Fabian Ernst coupled with the slick passing Engelaar in the double pivot, behind an attack of Ivan Rakatic, Farfan and Jermaine Jones. With Kevin Kuranyi’s ability to play the holding forward, much like a Luca Toni or Dimitar Berbatov, these two signings make Schalke a decent bet to end their long run of bad luck. Farfan’s ability to spell Kuranyi will be an added bonus and Jones ability to play back in the double pivot will allow the likes of Ze Roberto, PPA (Poor People’s Altintop) and Streit to slot in and provide depth through three competitions. This is now quite a versatile team.

2. Cristian Zaccardo and Andrea Barzagli (Palermo to Wolfsburg)

   With the addition of former Italian RB Zaccardo and Italian CB Barzagli, Felix Magath is making one of the strongest defenses in the Bundesliga even stronger. Forget Barzagli’s howler against the Netherlands. This is one of Italy’s best center halves and he immediately becomes one of the best in the Bundesliga. It was quite a coup for Wolfsburg to land these two from Palermo, so there are few teams that have as much buzz coming into the season as Wolfsburg. If Marcelinho can make it through one more year, they could compete for a Champion’s League spot this year.

1. Renato Augusto (Flamenco to Bayer Leverkusen)

   Bayer are right on the cusp. They have a collection of young talent that rivals any club with Adler, Barnetta, Castro, Kiessling, Vidal and Rolfes. But one of their biggest issues is the creeping age of talisman and playmaker Bernd Schneider. By picking up the next Brazilian wonder in Augusto, they look to be moving beyond Schneider and combining the creativity of this U20 international with the steady influence of Rolfes and the sharp wing play of Barnetta. If he is free from injury, he may well take the Werkself back to the Champion’s League. He will be fun to watch no matter how Leverkusen progress as a team.

and one to watch: Said Husejinovic (FK Sloboda Tuzla to Werder)

He isn’t going to make an impact at first, but I can’t believe how excited I am to see this wunderkind play. With Diego throwing his toys out with the pram, perhaps he will get time early to slot into the #10 role. By the end of the season we will be comparing the Bosnian to Ivan Rakatic.

Did I miss anyone? Please comment on who you think deserves a mention on this list. Is it Hajnal to BVB? Is it Pitroipa to HSV? Let’s hear who I missed, because undoubtedly I will have missed some good ones.

It’s finally official, Rafael van der Vaart the Netherlands midfielder and Hamburg’s captain is on his way to Real Madrid pending the results of a medical. The Bundesliga’s own version of the Ronaldo affair has come an end. Although the clubs themselves have not released the details regarding the transfer fee, reports in the German media estimate it at an initial 13 million Euros. This fee would increase to 15 million depending on how successful the Spanish champions are over the next several seasons.

Hamburg’s website has a farewell interview available. Unfortunately it’s only in German. Just in case the club does not provide an English version of its own the interview has been (quickly) translated* below:

Hsv.de: Rafael, last night Hamburg and Real Madrid agreed to your transfer. You will sign a five-year contract with the Spanish record champions. How are you feeling right now and how happy are you that things have finally cleared up?

Van der Vaart: I’m doing well. The transfer was agreed upon late in the night. It took a long time and was uncertain for quite a while, but now everything’s cleared up. I’m happy about that, but also a bit sad. It was a nice time. As I come back here, see everything once more and have to say my goodbyes, well, that’s a strange feeling.

Hsv.de: You always stressed that your dream was to play for a club like Real Madrid. What kind of expectations do you have of Spain?

Van der Vaart: I hope that everything works out like it did with the transfer to Hamburg. You have to realize that it’s a completely different team. It’s one of the biggest clubs in the world and the fulfillment of a dream of mine. I would like to play many games and be important to the team in Madrid. That naturally depends on both my own performance and the success of the club. I’m looking forward to it.

Hsv.de: You were quite stressed the past few days. Has that now changed?

Van der Vaart: I’m still stressed. So many new things are hitting me. I’m flying to Madrid this same day, tomorrow is the medical and official unveiling. These are all nice things, but naturally I’m anxious.

Hsv.de: Over the weekend at the Emirates Cup you were able to observe your new teammates up close. Had you already had contact with them, specifically with your Dutch colleagues and have they already begun clowning around with you in London?

Van der Vaart: Naturally I spoke often about [transferring] with Wesley Sneijder, for example, but it’s something else when you meet up in the stadium. They already had some fun: come over here or go into our dressing room. But I was still a Hamburg player and so behaved like one. I knew that the clubs were in negotiations.

Hsv.de: Bernd Hoffman proved himself to be an uncomprimising negotiator. How did you experience the back and forth over the last several days?

Van der Vaart: It was exciting. It was my absolute dream and a big career goal of mine to go to Real. Hoffman, naturally and like we all know, negotiated uncompromisingly. But Hamburg also earned its money.

Hsv.de: You weren’t in the starting lineup at the Emirates Cup. Many fans were angered by this decision. Can you explain this?

Van der Vaart: It was a joint decision with the trainer [Martin Jol]. I had so much going through my mind. In that condition you aren’t able to help the team. Naturally people will ask, “why does he want to go, why to Real?” But anyone looking in his heart [knows] it’s a dream to play for a club like that.

Hsv.de: You can look back on three wonderful and successful years at HSV. What are you going to take from this time?

Van der Vaart: It was, without question, a super time. It was the best decision of my footballing career to come to Hamburg. I experienced three wonderful years, received a lot of love, enjoyed many beautiful moments. There were highs and lows, but the fans were always there, that was the best. A single look into the stadium and you know that.

Hsv.de: Your wife felt quite comfortable in Hamburg as well. In addition, your son was born here. Are they both going with you to Madrid?

Van der Vaart: They both are coming along tonight. Sylvie will come back in a few days, because she has to return to work. But they’re both moving to Madrid in order to support me.

Hsv.de: Now it’s time to say farewell. Are you leaving with mixed feelings and is there anything else that you’d like to say to the fans?

Van der Vaart: It pains me to move away as well. Especially when I think of the fans. They always supported me even during the bad times, especially during the Valencia affair. I had goosebumps every time I played here. When you leave of course it’s easy to say, “Hamburg will always stay in my heart,” but it’s honestly so and will remain that way. I think Hamburg and I will meet again, maybe as a trainer or as a player, but in any case as a fan. I can only say thanks for everything!

Hsv.de: We would also like to thank you and wish you and your family good luck in your travels.

* — I replaced HSV with Hamburg throughout and made some other minor edits.

Yesterday was the draw for the 3rd qualifying round of the Champions League, the last hurdle before the group stages commence. There are plenty of interesting ties (Steve McClaren’s FC Twente vs. Arsenal topping the list), but in pure footballing terms the best fixture pits Schalke 04 against Atletico Madrid. Neither is the most accomplished or talented team in the competition, but together they form the strongest pairing. We have already previewed Schalke on the site, so in keeping with our (inconsistent) commitment to equal air time let us take a look at Atletico Madrid.

Shared History: While everything but the teams’ names may have changed this is not the first meeting between the two in Champions League action (when it was still the European Cup). One must look back to the 1958–59 season, a year after Schalke’s 7th and most recent championship. Atletico defeated Schalke 4–1 on aggregate in the quarterfinals of the competition. Furthermore the two share a common foe in Bayern Munich. Atletico were unfortunate not to win the 1973/74 European Cup final, Georg Schwarzenbeck’s late (119′) equalizer leading to a replay and the first of Bayern’s three consecutive European Cup triumphs. Schalke’s own run-ins with Bayern have been well-documented and need not be rehashed here.

Domestic Pedigree: 9-time La Liga champions, and runners-up a further 8 more. 17-time Copa del Rey finalists (emerging victorious 9 times). They are La Liga’s third most successful club, although Real Madrid and Barcelona are in no fear of being overtaken anytime soon.

European Glory: Winners of the 1961–62 UEFA Cup Winners’ Cup and losing finalists the following season. European success has been fleeting ever since. A slight deviation saw Atletico reach the Cup Winners’ Cup final once again in 1985–1986, but lose decisively to a Oleg Blokhin-led Dynamo Kiev 3–0.

Prediction: Schalke’s a good team, at least domestically. Unfortunately Bundesliga squads in general have performed poorly in Europe over the past several years. If the talent alone were equal the psychological weight of European mediocrity would be enough to choose Atletico Madrid. There is a definite talent disparity between the two squads, decisively favoring Los Rojiblancos. Talent alone won’t win games, but it’s often the best indicator of success.

Atletico beat Schalke 04 4–2 on aggregate.

As of August 1, GolTV — the 24/7 soccer network — has been removed from DISH Network due to a contract dispute.

According to GolTV, “this occurs despite efforts to continue GolTV’s availability to Dish customers.” DISH Network, in retort, inserted this message when you hit the INFO button where GolTV’s channel used to be: “GolTV has removed this channel after asking for unreasonable terms to renew the contract and we’re working to solve the problem.”

In the meantime, DISH Network is offering free previews of both Setanta Sports and Fox Sports Espanol to its customers. However, even if DISH Network customers subscribed to Setanta and Fox Sports Espanol, that won’t replace the void that’s left with GolTV gone because GolTV has exclusive license rights in the United States to La Liga and Bundesliga, as well as many 2010 World Cup qualifiers and this weekend’s Emirates Cup featuring Real Madrid, Hamburg, Juventus and Arsenal.

For DISH Network, the decision to remove GolTV is idiotic. Hopefully this a short-term disagreement between GolTV and DISH Network that will be resolved soon, but the timing couldn’t be worse and soccer fans will want to make a decision soon whether to leave DISH Network before the new seasons begin. My gut instinct says that this issue won’t be resolved soon especially when GolTV tells readers on its homepage that “You can find GolTV on our current distribution partners,” which includes DirecTV.

If you love GolTV, my recommendation would be to simply cancel your DISH Network subscription and move to DirecTV where you get GolTV there instead. If you’re upset about the situation, vote with your dollars by leaving DISH but don’t forget to send them an e-mail too to let them know why you’re canceling and moving to their biggest competitor.

DISH Network can be contacted here.

Fred Rutten isn’t the only new Dutch manager in the Bundesliga, as ex-Tottenham Martin Jol took over the reigns of Hamburg earlier this month. It’s been nearly 30 years since Jol’s last appearance in Germany. He made 9 appearances for Bayern Munich as a midfielder in 1978/79 before returning to the Netherlands the next season. His managerial journey has now mirrored his playing career, rotating among the northwestern European triangle of the Netherlands, England and Germany. This time around he hopes to spend more than a year in the Bundesliga.

Jol will be Hamburg’s 26th gaffer in the past 45 years. While this seems like a lot it’s actually the norm for the league (as next week’s entry on Bruno Labbadia will detail). The only manager to last longer than 4 years at Hamburg? Ernst Happel. Yes, he of Ernst-Happel-Stadion fame (the stadium was named for the two time European Cup winner and not vice versa, in case you were wondering). While fans would love it if Jol could emulate Happel’s European triumphs, they’d be satisfied with replicating his domestic success. Coincidentally both Happel and Jol began their managerial careers at ADO Den Haag. Anyway, it’s been 25 years since he Happel brought home the team’s last championship. Since then they’ve been a steady, if not spectacular, club:

They own the unique distinction of being the only remaining original Bundesliga side never to have been relegated. To continue staying afloat in the Bundesliga and hopefully challenge for silverware Hamburg must first and foremost continue developing their Dutch pipeline.

Currently Hamburg employ four Dutch players in their first team: Joris Mathijsen, Nigel de Jong, Romeo Castelen, and captain Rafael van der Vaart. Chelsea-flop Khalid Boulahrouz is also a recent member of this group. Together they comprise the second-largest national contingent in the squad and arguably its most talented. Hamburg has developed in somewhat of a Dutch Portugal. Portugal, for obvious reasons, is the destination of choice for young Brazilian talent making their initial move to Europe. Those who display enough promise are then snapped up by larger clubs. A crude analogy, to be sure, but it effectively describes the situation. Like the Bundesliga at large, Hamburg in particular has evolved into a showroom for foreign talent before it moves on to more lucrative English or Mediterranean shores.

The most obvious example of this will soon be Rafael van der Vaart, who has made his feelings quite clear about leaving Hamburg over the past year. For a time the rumor was that he’d end up at the Mestalla with Valencia. Now the bids have centered around the Spanish capital, either as part of Atletico’s summer signing spree or as Real’s ersatz Ronaldo. Although his contract runs through the 2009–2010 season it is clear that he is on his way out and almost certainly to the land of his mother’s birth. Hamburg would be well-advised to sell soon rather than risk losing a hefty (approximately 15 million Euro) transfer fee thanks to the Bosman ruling.

The best way to spend the van der Vaart money would be exactly how the club has in the past, on young players. While no one has or will likely ever confuse Hamburg for Arsenal, the club have made the decision to pursue mostly young professionals (three of the four Dutch players above are 25 or younger, for instance). It seems unlikely that Jol will alter this policy, although were he to try he’d find himself dealing with a much stingier board than Tottenham’s (and he won’t have a repeat of his run-in with Spurs’ director of football Damien Comolli).

Is Jol the man to have Hamburg fans partying like it’s 1983? Is there a limit to how many Dutch players German fans can stomach in the squad? Is it only a matter of time before Hamburg, taking their cue from North London, replace Jol with Sevilla’s current coach, Manolo Jimenez?

Next Week: Bruno Labbadia at Bayer Leverkusen

July 1st saw the formal beginnings of five coaches’ tenures at the helms of Bundesliga clubs. Over the next several weeks every Thursday we’ll introduce these men to you. Our series of profiles begins with Bayern München’s Jürgen Klinsmann, striker par excellence and noted diving enthusiast. We detail the man, his plan, his challenges, and finally his prospects.

Klinsmann’s story is actually a familiar one, stop me if you’ve heard it before. Things began with a stellar striking career that included stops in Germany and England. Eventually the national team came calling, which meant leading the squad at a major international tournament in Europe. Regardless of where he’s been, either in front of the goal or in front of the bench, goals have rarely been scarce. The much lauded swashbuckling style was often criticized as an example of tactical naïveté rather than strategic brilliance. Enough is enough. The parallels between Kevin Keegan and Jürgen Klinsmann are obvious (and ominous some Bayern München fans might say). Any attempt at predicting Klinsmann success with Bayern based on Keegan would be spurious at best. Klinsmann is in a much better position relative to his Geordie twin. But even before the season begins there are a number of challenges, some immediate, others long-term, that must be addressed:

•Underused Want-aways. Given both their excellent run of form at Euro ’08 and their regular exclusion from the Bayern first team, it is no surprise that Schweinsteiger and Podolski (in particular) have sought out lucrative opportunities for playing time elsewhere. As coach of the national team Klinsmann relied heavily on them, so the two should no doubt find themselves more appreciated than under outgoing trainer Ottmar Hitzfeld. Nevertheless Klinsmann has recently commented on the team’s website of Podolski’s value, noting first that he plans on bringing Lukas “up to the next level,” before definitively ending transfer speculations. “Lukas still has a two year contract here, it doesn’t even come into question. I will make a large effort so that Lukas feels comfortable at Bayern München,” said Klinsmann.

•European Underachievement. A comfortable Podolski is a natural goalscorer, as he showed throughout last year’s UEFA Cup. With a return to Champions League football, an in-form Podolski would significantly increase Bayern’s likelihood to progress deep into the tournament. Otherwise they are likely to continue their recent trend of European underachievement. Not since their victory in the 2000-01 edition of the Champions League have they come close to lifting the trophy. Much like their greatest European rivals, Real Madrid, Bayern are in danger of becoming irrelevant in the latter stages as teams from England and Italy continue to monopolize the competition.

•Choosing a New Captain. The retirement of Oliver Kahn has provided Klinsmann with an excellent opportunity to shape the direction of the club. The captain must necessarily reflect the best mixture of leadership and virtues that a trainer wishes to emphasize on the pitch. Will Klinsmann’s Bayern be the steely determination of midfield hardman Mark Van Bommel or the attacking panache of fullback Philipp Lahm? While there are a multitude of options, choosing Van Bommel puts the armband in the midst of the action, in line with Klinsmann’s choice of Ballack as Germany captain. The choice of Lahm on the other hand would signify both a commitment to an aggressive style of play while simultaneously emphasizing the importance of homegrown players, in a nod towards tradition. With Van Bommel on the wrong side of 30, Klinsmann’s choice (in our hypothetical binary situation) could also be a clue as to how long he wishes to stay at Bayern…

•Ennui or Extended Stay? There’s no question that, alongside his extraordinary ability, Jürgen Klinsmann will be remembered for his journeyman career. His talents blessed the shores of Germany, Italy, France, England and even the United States in 2003 (as Jay Goppingen) before returning to the Fatherland. After his initial stint with VfB Stuttgart lasting from 1984 to 1989 he hasn’t stayed longer than 3 years at any one club. Will this trend continue at Bayern (again)? Should he decide to stay long-term he faces the unenviable prospect of trying to escape the shadow of Ottmar Hitzfeld, the doyen of German coaches.

If he wants to challenge Hitzfeld’s legacy, he’ll need to do so by winning a title almost immediately. Since Bayern were first promoted to the Bundesliga in 1965 there have been 16 different gaffers. 6 of these did not win a title in any form (although Giovanni Trapattoni, in his second spell, won the 1996–97 Bundesliga crown and the 1997–98 DFB-Pokal). None lasted longer than two years before being sacked. It is difficult to imagine Bayern’s board being satisfied with the new Germany’s approach Klinsmann instituted, win or lose but play beautifully and make friends along the way, if not accompanied by new hardware for their trophy cabinet.

What do you think? Will Klinsmann thrive under the Bavarian sun? Or will he wilt beneath the media glare of overblown expectations?

Next week: Jürgen Klopp at Borussia Dortmund