Premier League giants become most valued football team in the world, ahead of Real Madrid and Barcelona
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Sarthak Sharma
Premier League giants Manchester United have become the most valued team in the world, beating Real Madrid and Barcelona to top spot.
Forbes have released a list of the most valuable clubs in world football today, and surprise surprise, it is none other than Manchester United who are right on top.
It is a rather surprising achievement considering the dominance of both Real Madrid and Barcelona, but the two Spanish powerhouses can only claim second and third spot respectively.
A whopping $4.12billion is the value of Manchester United, while Real Madrid come in with an impressive $4.09billion of their own, while Barcelona are only slightly further behind at $4.06billion.
United might not be winning a whole lot at the moment in terms of trophies, but the mass appeal of the club remains at an all-time high regardless, and the high value of the football club is proof that fans of the Red Devils are going nowhere just yet.
Forbes Releases 15th Annual List Of The World's Most Valuable Soccer Teams
Manchester United Retains Top Spot for Second Consecutive Year
NEW YORK (June 12, 2018) – Forbes today released its 15th annual list of the World’s Most Valuable Soccer Teams. For the second consecutive year, Manchester United is the world’s most valuable soccer team, worth $4.12 billion, up from $3.69 billion last year. Manchester United generated revenues of $737 million during the 2016-17 season and nearly twice as much operating income than any other soccer team. English teams comprise eight of the twenty most valuable teams.
“The dominance of English teams on our list is in large part due to the Premier League having the richest broadcasting deals in soccer,” said Mike Ozanian, Assistant Managing Editor at Forbes Media. Manchester United is also by far the most profitable soccer team in the world, posting operating income of $254 million, $160 million more than runner-up Real Madrid.
Real Madrid comes in at No. 2 on the 2018 rankings, with a current value of $4.09 billion. Rounding out the top five are Barcelona (No. 3), Bayern Munich (No. 4) and Manchester City.
The 20 most valuable soccer teams this year are worth an average of $1.69 billion, 14% more than one year ago. Most of the appreciation in value is due to the decline in the value of the U.S. dollar relative to the Euro since last year. Measured in Euros, the average team is worth 1.43 billion, 5% more than a year ago.
Forbes’ Top 10 Most Valuable Soccer Teams of 2018:
| 2018 Rank | Club | League | Current Value ($mil) | 1-year % change U.S. |
| 1 | Manchester United | Barclays Premier League | 4,123 | 12 |
| 2 | Real Madrid | Liga BBVA | 4,088 | 14 |
| 3 | Barcelona | Liga BBVA | 4,064 | 12 |
| 4 | Bayern Munich | German Bundesliga | 3,063 | 13 |
| 5 | Manchester City | Barclays Premier League | 2,474 | 19 |
| 6 | Arsenal | Barclays Premier League | 2,238 | 16 |
| 7 | Chelsea | Barclays Premier League | 2,062 | 12 |
| 8 | Liverpool | Barclays Premier League | 1,944 | 30 |
| 9 | Juventus | Serie A TIM | 1,472 | 17 |
| 10 | Tottenham Hotspur | Barclays Premier League | 1,237 | 17 |
Methodology: All revenues and operating income figures in our table are for the 2016-17 season, converted into U.S. dollars based on average exchange rates for the same period. Team values are enterprise values (equity plus net debt) and are based on exchange rates as of May 18, 2018. Operating income is earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization, player trading and disposal of player registrations. Debt includes long term borrowings and stadium debt recourse to the team.
