Real Madrid top in Forbes ranking of world's most valuable clubs

For the third year in a row, Real Madrid have topped the Forbes annual list of the most valuable football teams in the world. Real Madrid had the highest revenue among all the clubs as well.

Within this list of 20 clubs, Forbes drew focus towards a bunch of clubs they call the “Super Six”. It includes Real Madrid, Barcelona, Chelsea, Manchester United, Manchester City, and Liverpool.

According to the report, these clubs were among the top 10 in key areas – social media following, matchday revenue, broadcasting revenue and commercial revenue. In addition to creating a large global following, they have also been effective in monetising it.

The Top Three

The most valuable football team in the world – Real Madrid – is worth $3.26 billion. They earn a revenue of $746 million which, of course, contributes to such a high valuation. The Galactico’s have always boasted a line-up of superstars, but the current crop including top scorer Cristiano Ronaldo have seen the club earn $154 million in the last three years from the Champions League alone.

Another Spanish giant Barcelona sit in second behind their bitter Madrid rivals. According to Forbes, they are valued at $3.16 billion and along with Real Madrid, had the highest league television distribution in 2014 ($190 million). Barcelona’s deals with Qatar Airways and Nike reflect a below market value sum of $80 million a season but with the Likes of Lionel Messi, Neymar and Luiz Suarez among their ranks, they should be able to increase the value of those kit deals.

Barcelona’s plans to renovate their stadium could cost in the region of $700 million but in the long-term could significantly boost revenue.

The third most valuable team in the world are the English giants Manchester United. Their $3.1 billion valuation stems from the immense branding and monetisation that they have been able to implement. They currently hold two of the most lucrative kit deals in football. The 2014 partnership with Adidas will see them receive a whopping $110 million every season for 10 years. In addition, their seven-year deal with Chevrolet brings in $75 million dollars every season.

League earnings

Interestingly, 8 of the 20 teams on the list are Premier League clubs. Apart from the rising value of the British Pound in relation to the Dollar and the Euro, the Premier League is set to add $2.7 billion annually for three years beginning with the 2016-17 season through its new television deal. That is 70% more money than the current agreement.

With the Premier League’s international rights yet to be finalised, the total sum could exceed $4 billion a year.

Four Italian teams also make the list but none above the ninth place signalling a decline of Italian football. Though, it has been hit by a few scandals over the past few seasons and most Italian teams have been below par, their fan bases are still huge.

Apart from the big two Spanish teams, Atletico Madrid also make the cut. German and French teams also make their presence felt in the list.

Here is the full rundown:

Rank	Club	Valuation
1	Real Madrid	$3.26 bn
2	Barcelona	$3.16 bn
3	Manchester United	$3.10 bn
4	Bayern Munich	$2.35bn
5	Manchester City	$1.38bn
6	Chelsea	$1.37bn
7	Arsenal	$1.31bn
8	Liverpool	$982m
9	Juventus	$837m
10	AC Milan	$775m
11	Borussia Dortmund	$700m
12	Paris St-Germain	$634bn
13	Tottenham	$600m
14	Schalke 04	$572m
15	Inter Milan	$439m
16	Atletico Madrid	$436m
17	Napoli	$353m
18	Newcastle	$349m
19	West Ham	$309m
20	Galatasaray	$294m