By: Mark Scott

Atop the Football Heap

Soccer, Football, or Fútbol. Whatever you call it, the world's most popular sport draws billions of fanatical followers each week to domestic, continental, and global competitions. Despite the economic downturn, the world's elite clubs--all located in Europe--are still hauling in megamoney from a combination of game day ticket sales, lucrative commercial agreements, and multibillion dollar broadcasting deals. According to consultancy Deloitte, the combined revenue of the top 20 elite clubs was €3.9 billion ($4.9 billion) for the 2007-2008 season, a 6% annual increase and three times the amount reported just a decade ago.

Click on to see which soccer clubs top this year's global rankings.

(All data provided by Deloitte)