Manchester United overtake Real Madrid at top of Forbes football rich list
June 7, 2017
Premier League club Manchester United have overtaken Real Madrid as the most valuable football team in the world, according to business magazine Forbes.
United have been valued at $3.69bn (£2.86bn) and returned to the top of the annual list for the first time in five years, despite not competing in the Champions League during the 2016/17 season.
Spanish side Barcelona were second with a total worth of $3.64bn (£2.82bn) while Madrid $3.58bn (£2.77bn) slipped to third after being crowned European champions for the 12th time in their history last week.
Madrid had occupied top spot for the past four years but saw their value drop by 2% while United’s rose by a huge 11%.
Our look back on the 2016/17 season continues with a piece of #MUFC history as @WayneRooney broke @SirBobby‘s goalscoring record… 2⃣5⃣0⃣ ⚽ pic.twitter.com/PM0sS84GVs
— Manchester United (@ManUtd) June 7, 2017
English teams dominated the top 10 with Manchester City, Arsenal, Chelsea, Liverpool and Tottenham all included, which highlights the financial power of the Premier League elite.
Bundesliga champions Bayern Munich were fourth, while Serie A title winners Juventus were ninth.
“Manchester United’s return to the top spot is a testament to their powerful brand and marketing acumen,” Forbes Media assistant managing editor Mike Ozanian said.
Forbes’ top 20 most valuable football teams:
1. Manchester United $3.69bn (£2.86bn)
2. Barcelona $3.64bn (£2.82bn)
3. Real Madrid $3.58bn (£2.77bn)
4. Bayern Munich $2.71bn (£2.1bn)
5. Manchester City $2.08bn (£1.61bn)
6. Arsenal $1.93bn (£1.5bn)
7. Chelsea $1.85bn (£1.43bn)
8. Liverpool $1.49bn (£1.15bn)
9. Juventus $1.26bn (£976m)
10. Tottenham $1.06bn (£821m)
11. Paris St-Germain $841m (£652m)
12. Borussia Dortmund $808m (£626m)
13. AC Milan $802m (£621m)
14. Atletico Madrid $732m (£567m)
15. West Ham $634m (£491m)
16. Schalke 04 $629m (£487m)
17. Roma $569m (£441m)
18. Inter Milan $537m (£416m)
19. Leicester City $413m (£320m)
20. Napoli $379m (£294m)