Spanish giants still hauling in the big bucks despite tough economic times

Real Madrid and rival Barcelona proved passion for Spanish soccer remains undimmed despite the country's financial crisis, cementing their places as the highest revenue earners in the world's most popular sport, business services group Deloitte said on Thursday.

Madrid, which won the Spanish league last May for the 32nd time, became the first club in any sport to generate more than 500 million euros ($664 million) in annual revenues as it totaled $682.4 million, Deloitte said in its annual Football Money League for 2011-12.