Real Madrid declared the most valuable football club in the world

In addition to winning the Spanish La Liga championship for the 35th time, Real Madrid can boast the title of the most valuable football club in the world. According to Forbes, Real Madrid is currently valued at $5.1 billion and has been at the top of the list six out of 18 times that the business magazine has calculated the value of football clubs. Ambitious Barcelona closely follows, currently investing $1.6 billion in stadium construction, and is valued at an estimated $5 billion, which is six percent higher than last year.

Value of Clubs

In addition to the Spaniards, English clubs are also extremely valuable. Manchester United is in third place with a value of $4.6 billion, Liverpool is fourth at $4.45 billion, while the value of the fifth club on the list, Bayern Munich, is estimated at $4.375 billion.

As Forbes continues, the total value of the top 20 football clubs has increased by ten percent compared to last year (or $2.53 billion), while their average debt amounts to only nine percent of total revenue. When considering the value of clubs across the entire sports industry, football players are outdone by the NFL, MLB, and NBA leagues.

For example, the most valuable club in the world is the Dallas Cowboys (NFL; $6.5 billion), followed by the New York Yankees (MLB; $6 billion), then the New York Knicks (NBA; $5.8 billion), Golden State Warriors (NBA; $5.6 billion), and Los Angeles Lakers (NBA; $5.5 billion).

Top ten most valuable football clubs according to Forbes

1. REAL MADRID

Value: $5.1 billion

Change compared to 2021: +7 percent

Owner: sports society (fans)

Operating income: $90 million

2. BARCELONA

Value: $5.1 billion

Change compared to 2021: +5 percent

Owner: sports society (fans)

Operating income: $17 million

3. MANCHESTER UNITED

Value: $4.6 billion

Change compared to 2021: +10 percent

Owner: Glazer Family

Operating income: $128 million

4. LIVERPOOL

Value: $4.45 billion

Change compared to 2021: +9 percent

Owner: John Henry, Tom Werner

Operating income: $104 million

5. BAYERN MUNICH

Value: $4.275 billion

Change compared to 2021: +1 percent

Owner: sports society (fans)

Operating income: $102 million

6. MANCHESTER CITY

Value: $4.25 billion

Change compared to 2021: +6 percent

Owner: Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan

Operating income: $156 million

7. PARIS SAINT-GERMAIN

Value: $3.2 billion

Change compared to 2021: +28 percent

Owner: Qatar Sports Investments

Loss: $102 million

8. CHELSEA

Value: $3.1 billion

Change compared to 2021: -3 percent

Owner: Todd Boehly, Clearlake Capital

Operating income: $45 million

9. JUVENTUS

Value: $2.45 billion

Change compared to 2021: +26 percent

Owner: Agnelli Family

Operating income: $26 million

10. TOTTENHAM HOTSPUR

Value: $2.35 billion

Change compared to 2021: +2 percent

Owner: Joseph Lewis, Daniel Levy

Operating income: $127 million