Real Madrid have remained the most valuable football team in the world for a fourth year in a row, according to US business magazine Forbes.
Madrid lead the way from rivals Barcelona, with Manchester United sitting in third place.
Madrid’s value stands at $3.645 billion (£2.52bn) and their annual revenue is $694 million (£480m), a slender advantage over Barcelona in both categories.
Barcelona are shown to have a value of $3.549bn (£2.46bn), with United said to be worth $3.317bn (£2.3bn).
Manchester United remain the richest British club – and the third most valuable globally – with an estimated value of $3.3bn.
German giants Bayern Munich ($2.7bn) and Arsenal ($2bn) complete the top five.
Of the other Premier League clubs, Manchester City are the sixth most valuable at $1.9bn, followed by Chelsea ($1.7bn) at seventh, Liverpool ($1.5bn) eighth and Tottenham Hotspur ($1bn) 10th.
“Escalating payouts from television agreements, shirt and kit deals, sponsors, and the Champions League are continuing to fuel higher values for the world’s top soccer teams,” Forbes said on 11 May.
“As a result, investors who feasted on soccer teams during the past decade or so are now looking very smart – especially those who bought English teams.”
Real Madrid’s value is set to go further up this year due the club’s appearance in the Champions League final against Atletico Madrid later this month.
