Soccer (or football, whatever you call it) is different now. The change is more evident in football clubs.
With football today, it is more than clubs competing against each other; it is like a brand war. The clubs are like brands these days.
And the good part is that you can calculate their values now and see which club is more valuable. So, if that’s what you want to know, we’ve got you. Here is a list of the ten most valuable clubs in the world right now. Fair warning: this list will only consider the major European league clubs, so MLS is out.
10 Most Valuable Soccer Teams in the world
The top ten clubs usually stay the same except for position changes. But that was until the pandemic hit. Every club took a hit (more or less), so the list may have some surprise contenders. Let’s dig in.
1. Real Madrid
Is anyone even surprised? Probably not. The most valuable club in the world is the Spanish giant and the 14-time Champions League winners– Real Madrid. The Spanish royal whites stand at a $5.1B value, and $90 comes from operating incomes. Their revenue generation stands at $767M, and the 1-year change of this club is 7%.
And part of the credit goes to the genius board members like Florentino Perez, but most of it goes to the fans. Hence, you can’t precisely be this good unless you have passionate people who have your back.
2. Barcelona
The second Spanish giant on the list might surprise some people, considering the recent news. Barcelona is doing very well regarding overall value. For a club that is supposed to be up to its eyeballs in debt. This Spanish club stands at the same $5.1B as its rival, but their operating incomes differ.
They have $17M incoming from that department, which is less than their rivals. So, Barcelona’s revenue generation stands at $692M, less than their rivals. But the club seems to be back on track so that the fans can expect a better performance this season.
3. Manchester United
First of the Premier League teams on this list, Manchester United is doing pretty good in the market though most fans are convinced otherwise. This English club owned by the Glazer Family has a good grip on their revenue and market value.
The club is currently the 3rd most valuable in the world, with a market value of $4.6B and $663M in revenue. Hence, the fans may not be happy with the club, but from a financial viewpoint, Manchester United is doing very well.
5. Liverpool
The second premier league club on the list, Liverpool, has been on a roll for a long time. But it became more visible after their UCL win in the 2018-2019 season, and it is safe to say the club is still going very strong. Liverpool is the 4th most valuable soccer club with a $4.45B market value to boast. And $104M of this amount comes from operating expenses.
5. Bayern Munich
Bayern Munich has been the most prominent German representative in top competitions for years. The German superpower showed the world how strong they are with their Hexa-winning journey in the 2019-2020 season. No wonder they’d be on this list, but the position might be slightly higher than most people would’ve guessed.
Bayern Munich currently stands 5th on the most valuable soccer club list. The club boasts a market value of $4.275B according to Forbes (€877.73M according to Transfer Market) and a revenue of $726M. This fan-owned club is one of the very (and there is an emphasis on this word) few clubs that did financially well during the pandemic. The 1% change may look small, but it shows how fantastic this club has been in holding the financial fort.
6. Manchester City
You probably expected them way higher on the list, but it is what it is. This comparatively new club is owned by Saudi Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan and has a market value of $4.25B. The club has a low operating income of $156M, but the revenue is impressive. Manchester City has $766M to boast as their plenty good revenue, to be honest.
7. Paris Saint-Germain
Yet another financial giant in the transfer market, PSG’s low ranking may come as a surprise to fans. The Qatar Sports Investment-owned club is the 7th most valuable club in the world, with a market value of $3.2M. The 1-year change has been a big jump for PSG, standing at 28%, probably the highest on this list.
8. Chelsea
Chelsea is another club with good standing in the market. This club has a market value of $3.1B, and $45M is from operating incomes. Owned by Todd Boehly and Clearlake Capital, the royal blues of Stamford bridge have a revenue of $586M to boast.
9. Juventus
The Old Lady, the only Italian club on this list, has a pretty good market value. The club is the 9th most valuable one in the world, with a market value of $2.45B. And the 26% 1-year change looks pretty good on the stripes with an operating income of $26M.
10. Tottenham Hotspur
Probably the surprise entry of this list, the spurs have a better standing in the market than most people assume. Owned by Joseph Lewis and Daniel Levy, the club boasts a $2.35B market value (and one Heung-Min Son, but that’s a different topic). Their operating income stands at $127M.
Conclusion
A big name doesn’t mean better market value (as you can probably tell from this list). There are other factors to consider when you’re calculating values. And when you’re done with that, you can get more football updates in the meantime.
Source:
- https://sportsbrowser.net/richest-football-clubs/
- https://www.transfermarkt.com/vereins-statistik/wertvollstemannschaften/marktwertetop?kontinent_id=0&land_id=0&plus=1
- https://www.sportsunfold.com/top-ten-most-expensive-football-teams-in-the-world-in-2022/
- https://sportsbrief.com/football/10163-which-richest-football-club-world-2022/
- https://www.theweek.co.uk/news/sport/football/956894/most-valuable-football-clubs-world-2022
- https://www.forbes.com/sites/mikeozanian/2022/05/26/the-worlds-most-valuable-soccer-teams-2022-real-madrid-worth-51-billion-back-on-top/?sh=1806d66c286b