Manchester United Tops Forbes' Valuations Of Soccer Clubs
English Premier League (EPL) club Manchester United tops FORBES valuations of soccer clubs and has become the "most valuable sports franchise in the world" at $1.8B, according to Jack Gage of FORBES. The top 25 valued teams gained an average 14% in revenue. ManU next year likely will "make a return to the top" of the list, as the club has expanded Old Trafford by nearly 8,000 seats, increased ticket prices and secured a four-year, $120M sponsorship deal with AIG. La Liga's Real Madrid's second-place total of $1.3B is up 27%, due in part to a 53% increase "in broadcast rights fees" from the club's new seven-year, $1.6B deal with Mediapro. Overall in '07, "record attendance in Spain and new broadcast deals for scandal-plagued Italian clubs buoyed financial results while German and French clubs again reaped merchandising windfalls following their roles" in the '06 World Cup. England's "foreign investment explosion" helped EPL teams "fund stadium improvements and expand capacity, yielding higher ticket revenue to cover debt payments and transfer spending on players" (FORBES.com, 4/30).
|
RK
|
TEAM
|
COUNTRY
|
CURRENT VALUE*
|
DEBT/
VALUE**
|
1-YR % +/-
|
REVENUE
|
OPER. INCOME
|
|
1
|
Manchester United
|
England
|
$1.800B
|
60%
|
24%
|
$394M
|
$111M
|
|
2
|
Real Madrid
|
Spain
|
$1.285B
|
27%
|
24%
|
$474M
|
$112M
|
|
3
|
Arsenal |
England |
$1.200B
|
43%
|
31%
|
$329M
|
$77M
|
|
4
|
Liverpool |
England |
$1.050B
|
65%
|
131%
|
$269M
|
$60M
|
|
5
|
Bayern Munich |
Germany |
$917M
|
0%
|
9%
|
$302M
|
$72M
|
|
6
|
AC Milan |
Italy |
$798M
|
0%
|
-3%
|
$307M
|
$54M
|
|
7
|
Barcelona |
Spain |
$784M
|
7%
|
47%
|
$392M
|
$92M
|
|
8
|
Chelsea |
England |
$764M
|
0%
|
42%
|
$382M
|
-$5M
|
|
9
|
Juventus |
Italy |
$510M
|
5%
|
-10%
|
$196M
|
$35M
|
|
10
|
Schalke 04 |
Germany |
$470M
|
48%
|
0%
|
$154M
|
$36M
|
|
11
|
AS Roma |
Italy |
$434M
|
12%
|
94%
|
$213M
|
$48M
|
|
12
|
Tottenham Hotspur |
England |
$414M
|
15%
|
70%
|
$207M
|
$64M
|
|
13
|
Olympique Lyonnais |
France |
$408M
|
7%
|
19%
|
$190M
|
$15M
|
|
14
|
Inter Milan |
Italy |
$403M
|
0%
|
-27%
|
$207M
|
$21M
|
|
15
|
Borussia Dortmund |
Germany |
$323M
|
57%
|
63%
|
$122M
|
$31M
|
|
16
|
Newcastle United |
England |
$300M
|
43%
|
16%
|
$175M
|
$12M
|
|
17
|
Hamburg SV |
Germany |
$293M
|
0%
|
32%
|
$163M
|
$41M
|
|
18
|
Werder Bremen |
Germany |
$262M
|
0%
|
n/a
|
$131M
|
$11M
|
|
19
|
Valencia |
Spain |
$254M
|
159%
|
31%
|
$145M
|
-$49M
|
|
20
|
Celtic |
Scotland |
$227M
|
11%
|
23%
|
$151M
|
$48M
|
|
21
|
Everton |
England |
$197M
|
30%
|
24%
|
$103M
|
-$1M
|
|
22
|
West Ham United |
England |
$195M
|
23%
|
25%
|
$115M
|
-$22M
|
|
23
|
Manchester City |
England |
$191M
|
63%
|
-8%
|
$114M
|
$27M
|
|
24
|
Aston Villa |
England |
$190M
|
12%
|
36%
|
$106M
|
-$40M
|
|
25
|
Olympique Marseille |
France |
$187M
|
0%
|
19%
|
$134M
|
$13M
|
NOTES: Revenues and operating income are for the '06-07 season, converted into U.S. dollars based on June 30, '07 exchange rates. * = Value of team based on current stadium deals (unless new stadium is pending) without deduction for debt (other than stadium debt). ** = Includes stadium debt. ^ = Earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization.
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