Jamie Carragher launches 'facts' rant at Man City amid Liverpool and Man Utd comparison

Jamie Carragher has questioned Manchester City's global popularity , and refutes the idea that the Premier League champions' revenue is anywhere near the level of Real Madrid's, Liverpool's and Manchester United's.

City was second only to Madrid in Deloitte's most recent list of the clubs that generate the most revenue in world football, reportedly generating almost $900m during the 2022-23 season.

However, Carragher is not convinced by the numbers, and believes that TV viewing figures for City matches along with readership figures for articles he has written about City back his argument up.

Carragher launched his rant after being asked by Goal about City's ongoing legal case with the Premier League over the 115 charges the club was hit with last year.

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"You know what? I'm not sure it ever gets resolved," Carragher said of the case. "Because I think in some ways, no matter what happens, if City are found to be proven not guilty, I think most people in the country, certainly fans of rival teams will all believe they have done it - it's just that they've got the best lawyers. So it'll never go away.

"And if they are found guilty, City will come out and say, ‘It was persecution from the Premier League - United, Liverpool and Arsenal don't want the new kids in town coming and taking their trophies,’ or, ‘that’s the world we live in.’

"I'm just tired and bored of it, if I'm being honest. Some of the things City claim... sometimes I just can't believe... when they claim that they bring in more revenue than anybody else, like Real Madrid, and teams like that, I’m like, 'behave'.

"I know that myself in the media, if I do a newspaper article on Liverpool or Man United, the amount of clicks is going to get compared to City because people aren't as interested in Manchester City.

"That's not a criticism, that's just a fact. We know that from viewing figures on Sky Sports. If Man United or Liverpool play they go through the roof. If Manchester City play, it doesn't move the needle. And again, it's not a criticism, it's just a fact.

"We know those things. They’re facts. So, for City to say that they bring in more revenue than some of the biggest clubs in the Premier League or Real Madrid is just a nonsense.

"But we want it [the case] to be over. We want to be talking about football on the pitch. Manchester City, they’ve got an unbelievable manager, an unbelievable team. We want to get back to judging them as a football team on the pitch, but if they broke the rules that they signed up for as every other Premier League club did, they should be punished, and punished very, very heavily."