Reputable US business magazine, Forbes has picked La Liga giants, Real Madrid as the most valuable football team in the world for a fourth consecutive year.
According to Forbes’ latest evaluation, Real Madrid has remained the most valuable football team in the world for a fourth year in a row.
Madrid leads the way for rivals Barcelona, with Manchester United sitting in third place.
According to the latest valuation, Madrid’s value stands at $3.645 billion (£2.52bn) and its annual revenue is $694 million (£480m), a slender advantage over Barcelona in both categories.
Barcelona has a value of $3.549bn (£2.46bn), with United said to be worth $3.317bn (£2.3bn).
Six Premier League teams feature in the top 10, with United joined by Arsenal, Manchester City, Chelsea, Liverpool and Tottenham.
Forbes says the top 20 teams are collectively worth 24 percent more than the teams that filled those positions 12 months ago, citing increased income from television contracts and kit deals.
The study said Real Madrid ranked as the world’s second richest sports team, behind only the Dallas Cowboys American football team, which it valued at $4bn (£2.77bn).
Forbes’ top 10 world’s most valuable football teams:
1 Real Madrid: $3.645bn (£2.52billion)
2 Barcelona: $3.549bn (£2.46bn)
3 Manchester United: $3.317bn (£2.3bn)
4 Bayern Munich: $2.678bn (£1.85bn)
5 Arsenal: $2.017bn (£1.4bn)
6 Manchester City: $1.921bn (£1.33bn)
7 Chelsea: $1.661bn (£1.15bn)
8 Liverpool: $1.548bn (£1.07bn)
9 Juventus: $1.299bn (£900m)
10 Tottenham: $1.017bn (£704m)
