Manchester United have been named the most valuable football club in the world for the eight consecutive year by Forbes.
United are also ranked as the most valuable team in any sport, worth $2.24billion (£1.4bn), $385million more than baseball’s New York Yankees and the NFL’s Dallas Cowboys.
Arsenal are fourth on the list, worth 1.29billion USD (£800m), behind Real Madrid (£1.17bn) and Barcelona (£816m) but just ahead of Bayern Munich (£766m).
The Forbes list ranks Chelsea in seventh place, worth £474m, and Liverpool eighth with a value of £386m.
United’s huge global fanbase, estimated by Forbes to number 330 million, has helped maintain the club’s position at the top. However both Real Madrid and Barcelona have higher revenues than United, due in large part to the fact they have negotiated their own individual television rights deals for Spanish football.
The figures are also based on last year’s financial results reflected United getting to the Champions League final.
This season Sir Alex Ferguson’s side failed to make the knockout stage and their income from European football is expected to suffer a corresponding drop, especially in relation to Real Madrid and Barcelona who are both in the Champions League semi-finals.
Tottenham are 11th on the list, valued at £351m, and Manchester City 13th, worth £276m.
Forbes magazine’s top 10 richest clubs in the world
1 Man United
2 Real Madrid
3 Barcelona
4 Arsenal
5 Bayern Munich
6 AC Milan
7 Chelsea
8 Liverpool
9 Juventus
10 Schalke 04
