Real Madrid Lead Barcelona, Manchester United on Forbes’ 2016 Football Rich List

Real Madrid are the most valuable football team in the world for the fourth year running, with La Liga rivals Barcelona close behind in second and Premier League giants Manchester United third.

According to Forbes magazine’s Mike Ozanian, the Madrid outfit is valued at $3.65 billion (£2.53 billion), a 12 per cent increase on last year. The full top 10 includes six teams from the Premier League, two from La Liga and one each from Serie A and the Bundesliga:

German champions Bayern Munich sit in fourth place, a considerable way back from United, while Arsenal fill out the top five.

Tottenham Hotspur are the only new side in the top 10 compared to last year, with the north London club replacing AC Milan in the 10th spot.

Per Ozanian, the average value of the top 20 most valuable football teams in the world is now $1.44 billion (just shy of £1 billion), a 24 per cent increase on last year.

With television, sponsorship and kit deals on the rise, club values increase accordingly.

The payouts for progress in the …

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