Which football clubs have been the most profitable since 2000/01?

There will be a number of teams that will be looking to strengthen their squads in the coming days as the January transfer window finally opens up, whilst there will be other clubs who are looking to offload players that they no longer require.

Of course, the winter window does not necessarily see some of the biggest transfers take place due to the fact that teams are also desperate to keep ahold of their very best players, but it is not unwise to suggest that they can happen as history has shown in the past.

However, there are a number of clubs that have adopted an approach that is all about being as profitable as possible and generating more money than they have spent on a player in order to make the team more sustainable. Indeed, everyone in the world is always looking to make as much as possible; just ask those that are continuing to play at lotto thaibet on a regular basis!

TransferMarkt (as per GiveMeSport), though, has decided to take it upon themselves to work out which teams have been the most successful since the 2000/01 season in generating a profit from the players bought and sold and there are a number of teams that many might consider being rather surprising.

Then again, there are some that appear on the list that is far from surprising and many may have been able to predict that they would appear. Take Benfica as the prime example, as the Portuguese club stand at the top of list after they made a profit of €628m (£528.5m) since 2000. Of course, players such as Joao Felix and Ruben Dias have accounted for a vast amount of the revenue generated.

Benfica are joined at the top of the list by Primeira Liga rivals FC Porto, as they have managed to make €564m (£474.6m) in profit since the turn of the millennium. With Chelsea having splashed out loads on the likes of Paulo Ferriera and Ricardo Carvalho when Jose Mourinho first joined, as well as having sold the likes of Hulk and James Rodriguez in years gone by, it is no surprise that they have been able to line their bank account.

Ajax are known for having one of the best production lines in world football, so it does not come as a surprise to learn that they are thie=rd, especially as a number of talented youngsters have gone on to make big-money moves after breaking through the academy setup.

LOSC Lille and Udinese complete the top five, although there are a number of South American teams that complete the top 15, thus highlighting how talented footballers from the region have been over the years.