Real Madrid have retained top spot in Forbes’ list of the world’s most valuable soccer teams for a fourth successive year.
The value of the Champions League finalists rose 12 per cent to $3.6 billion, making them the world’s second most valuable sports team after the Dallas Cowboys.
Barcelona were second on the list with a value of $3.5 billion, also up 12 per cent from last season, although no other Spanish teams made the top 10 with Manchester United ($3.3 billion), Bayern Munich ($2.7 billion) and Arsenal ($2 billion) completing the top five.
Forbes revealed that the 20 most valuable soccer teams are worth an average of $1.44 billion, a 24 percent increase from 12 months ago, which is due to the new lucrative television deals that have been agreed.
The top 10 for 2016 is:
1 – Real Madrid
2 – Barcelona
3 – Manchester United
4 – Bayern Munich
5 – Arsenal
6 – Manchester City
7 – Chelsea
8 – Liverpool
9 – Juventus
10 – Tottenham Hotspur
