Real Madrid may be the kings of Europe, and Manchester City best in Britain - but when it comes to companies that sponsor our biggest football clubs, it seems nearly everyone’s a winner.

With share prices still soaring after the economic crisis, the Trinity Mirror data unit has taken a look how much £100 invested in the shirt sponsors of 21 clubs at the start of the English season last August would have generated in profit at the end of the season in May.

They've also ranked the clubs by profit - creating a ‘Champions League’ of shirt sponsors.

But in west London, Chelsea find themselves firmly in mid table below the likes of Norwich City and Brighton & Hove Albion.

Romania’s Dinamo Bucharest come out on top where £100 invested in their sponsor, Orange, would have returned an incredible £57.20 in profit between August 2013 and May 2014.

Panathiniakos of Greece, sponsored by gambling monopoly OPAP, are second on £46.50 profit.

Of the English clubs, Norwich City’s sponsor Aviva was the most successful on the stock exchange, with profits of £33.50 on £100.

Manchester United (Aon) were second (£25.10) - but Liverpool (Standard Chartered) prop up the overall table with a £16.80 share price loss.

Many major teams these days are sponsored by privately-owned companies - increasingly based in the Middle East - which don’t have publicly-traded shares or share prices.

Others are backed by charities or even, in the case of Cardiff and Atletico Madrid, entire countries.

Overall, the 21 clubs in our table racked up an average 9.5 per cent profit in just nine months - far better than any bank account would currently offer.

The companies in the table below were listed on a variety of international stock exchanges.

Prices were taken as of August 17 and May 11 - the start and finish dates of the English football season.