For the second consecutive season, the Ligue 1 season ended with a final ranking “of Paris-Lyon-Monaco,” according to Nathan Gourdol of L’ÉQUIPE. The lead trio “almost matches the budget rankings.” Paris St. Germain and its “superpower” budget of €490M ($555M) won the league, Olympique Lyonnais and its €170M ($193M) budget passed AS Monaco in the final weeks of the season, despite Monaco’s higher budget of €250M ($283M). Newly promoted Angers SCO owned the 18th lowest budget in Ligue 1 at the start of the season: €24M ($27M). But thanks to “intelligent recruiting the club assured its stay in Ligue 1 at the start of April,” finally ending ninth in the league and nine places above its financial standings. At the top of the table, OGC Nice “managed a season well above expectations, with a fourth-place finish” with the 10th-biggest budget of €40M ($45M). Among the “disappointments,” Olympique de Marseille “takes the cake.” OM and its fourth-highest budget of €125M ($142M) “experienced a catastrophic year, and did not retain its place in Ligue 1 until the 36th day of the season,” finally finishing 13th (L’ÉQUIPE, 5/15).
| Ligue 1 Table & Budgets
|
| RANKING |
TEAM
|
'15-16 Budget (€) |
| 1 |
Paris St. Germain
|
490M ($555M) |
| 2 |
Lyon |
170M ($193M) |
| 3 |
Monaco |
250M ($283M) |
| 4 |
Nice |
40M ($45M) |
| 5 |
Lille |
70M ($79M) |
6
|
Saint-Etienne |
68M ($77M) |
| 7 |
Caen |
26M ($29M) |
| 8 |
Rennes |
43M ($49M) |
| 9 |
Angers |
24M ($27M) |
| 10 |
Bastia |
25M ($28M) |
| 11 |
Bordeaux |
60M ($68M) |
| 12 |
Montpellier |
42M ($48M) |
13
|
Marseille |
125M ($142M) |
| 14 |
Nantes |
38M ($43M) |
| 15 |
Lorient
|
30M ($34M) |
16
|
Guingamp |
25M ($28M) |
| 17 |
Toulouse |
30M ($34M) |
18
|
Reims
|
31M ($35M) |
| 19 |
GFC Ajaccio |
14M ($16M) |
| 20 |
Troyes |
23M ($26M) |
Source: L’ÉQUIPE
