Top ten most valuable football clubs in the world in 2022

Real Madrid will go into the Uefa Champions League final as Europe’s most successful club with 13 titles – and now they are also top of the league in world football’s rich list.

According to Forbes’s 2022 study of the world’s most valuable football clubs, the Spanish champions reclaimed their No.1 spot with a $5.1bn (£4bn) valuation. This is 7% more than last year and puts “Los Blancos” ahead of FC Barcelona, Manchester United and Liverpool, their Champions League final opponents.

According to the Forbes methodology, the operating income listed is for the 2020-2021 season. “Team values are enterprise values (equity plus net debt) and include the economics of the team’s stadium (but exclude the value of the real estate itself), based on comparable transactions,” the magazine said. “Sources include team annual reports and documents, team executives, credit rating agency reports, sports bankers and Deloitte Football Money League.”

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Here we take a look at which clubs make up the top ten.

1. Real Madrid: $5.1bn (£4bn)

La Liga, Spain

The 13-time European champions last held the top spot in 2019, Forbes reported. Real Madrid have now been the most valuable football team in six of the 18 rankings published by the magazine. Owned by club members, Real had an operating income of $90m in 2020-21 and their $5.1bn valuation is a 7% one-year change. Real are the sixth most valuable sports team in the world behind the Dallas Cowboys, New York Yankees, New York Knicks, Golden State Warriors and Los Angeles Lakers. They will earn more than $100m from their run to the Champions League final.

2. FC Barcelona: $5.1bn (£4bn)

La Liga, Spain

The Catalan giants are the second most valuable football club and are tied with the NFL’s New England Patriots as the seventh most valuable team in any sport, Forbes said. Owned by club members, Barcelona had an operating income of $17m and their $5.1bn valuation is a 5% one-year change.

3. Manchester United: $4.6bn (£3.65bn)

Premier League, England

Man Utd have taken the top spot 11 times, most recently in 2018, Forbes said. Owned by the Glazer family, the Red Devils had an operating income of $128m and their $4.6bn valuation is a 10% one-year change.

4. Liverpool: $4.45bn (£3.53bn)

Premier League, England

Owned by the Fenway Sports Group, Liverpool had an operating income of $104m and their $4.45bn valuation is a 9% one-year change. The Reds have been boosted by “impressive matchday revenue and on-pitch performances”, said the Daily Mail.

5. Bayern Munich: $4.275bn (£3.4bn)

Bundesliga, Germany

Bayern are another club owned by members. The German champions had an operating income of $102m – their $4.275bn valuation is a 1% one-year change.

6. Manchester City: $4.25bn (£3.37bn)

Premier League, England

It’s been a good season on the pitch for Pep Guardiola’s Man City, who defended their Premier League title by finishing just one point ahead of English rivals Liverpool. Off the pitch last year City had an operating income of $156m and their $4.25bn valuation is a 6% one-year change.

7. Paris Saint-Germain: $3.2bn (£2.54bn)

Ligue 1, France

Big-spending PSG can boast the likes of Kylian Mbappe, Neymar and Lionel Messi in their ranks. The French champions, owned by Qatar Sports Investments, made an operating loss of $102m and their $3.2bn valuation is a 28% one-year change.

8. Chelsea: $3.1bn (£2.46bn)

Premier League, England

Soon to be owned by a consortium led by American businessman Todd Boehly, Chelsea had an operating income of $45m and their $3.1bn valuation is a -3% one-year change.

9. Juventus: $2.45bn (£1.94bn)

Serie A, Italy

Nicknamed the “Old Lady”, Juve are owned by the Agnelli family and valued at $2.45bn – a 26% one-year change. The Italian giants had an operating income of $26m.

10. Tottenham Hotspur: $2.35bn (£1.86bn)

Premier League, England

Next season Spurs will return to the Champions League having finished fourth in the Premier League ahead of rivals Arsenal. The north London club are valued at $2.35bn by Forbes – a 2% one-year change. They had an operating income of $127m in the 2020-21 season.