Manchester United were confirmed as rulers of the football world off the pitch as well as on it as they topped a global rich list of clubs which is being increasingly dominated by English teams.

On the day United beat Palmeiras in the Intercontinental Cup, they also finished top of a table of financial muscle, with the presence of eight other English and Scottish clubs in the top 20 showing the growing strength of the game in Britain. However, teams in Spain and Italy may well overtake the likes of United in the near future thanks to massive TV deals which the English Premiership must match to keep pace.

The Deloitte & Touche "Rich List" was based on the turnover of clubs worldwide during the 1997-98 season, and United finished first with a figure of £87.9 million despite not having won a single trophy during that campaign.

Even though their turnover was unchanged from the previous year, they were still about 20 per cent ahead of Real Madrid.

Newcastle came in fifth, with Chelsea ninth - although if their successful travel company was taken into account, they would have finished second.

One Scottish club made the top 20 - 16th-placed Rangers - while Celtic came 21st.