Brazil earns US$2 billion from sales of soccer players, São Paulo club tops the list – FIFA

RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL – Brazil has gained US$2 billion (R$10.4 billion) from player transfers over the past decade. São Paulo is the club with the highest increase in this period, followed by Santos and Flamengo. This is according to a FIFA report on the last ten years regarding the transfer of athletes.

The document shows the picture of a country that exports far more players than it imports or otherwise invests in. The exceptions are clubs like Flamengo and Atlético-MG, which top the list of spending on reinforcements this decade. Ultimately, however, even Flamengo has sold more than it has bought in terms of value.

The Brazilian soccer player is the most traded commodity on the international market. A total of US$7.1 billion (R$36.6 billion) were paid in transactions involving national athletes. The problem is that only a fraction of this amount actually reaches Brazilian clubs, as the largest transactions take place in Europe.

According to the report, Brazilian teams have raised US$2.829 billion in a decade. On the other hand, they have spent US$827 million on new signings. Hence the profit of US$2 billion in this period. It is the country with the most money left behind in the world after Portugal. However, it is only the seventh in terms of revenue.

Among domestic teams, São Paulo is the seventh in the world with the most profits from sports transactions. FIFA does not disclose the values of the negotiations per club. It is only reported that the club has made the transfer of 117 athletes.

On the list of 30 clubs with the highest profits are also: Santos (20th) and Flamengo (21st). Behind them follow Corinthians, Fluminense, Grêmio and Internacional. Among the most profitable clubs are seven domestic clubs: the highest number in any country. But the Portuguese – Sporting, Benfica and Porto – top the list of values. In terms of the total number of athletes negotiated, Fluminense leads the world with 187 athletes.

On the other hand, Brazilian clubs lead in terms of investment in new arrivals in South America. Flamengo tops the list, followed by Atlético-MG. This shows the discrepancy of the club from Minas Gerais: it is not among those that earn the most from athletes, but among those that spend the most. And let’s not forget that the club does not have high revenues in other areas such as television, sponsorship, etc., the so-called recurring revenues. Boca Juniors is third.

However, the comparison with Europe in terms of investment is cruel, because it shows how big the difference is. Brazil is not even on the list of the 10 countries with the highest spending on recruitment.

It is obviously behind the top five: England, Germany, Spain, France and Italy. But it also loses out to countries like China, Portugal, Russia, Turkey and Belgium. This shows that it is a supportive nation when it comes to investing in reinforcements in the world.