In Forbes' annual list, Real Madrid surpasses its Spanish rival Barcelona, followed by Manchester United.
Real Madrid has recaptured its title as the most valuable soccer team in the world, with a value of $5.1 billion, up 7% from previous year.
Real Madrid will receive more than $100 million if it wins a record 35th domestic league title in 2021-22, as well as qualifying for a record eighth Champions League final (which will be contested this Saturday versus Liverpool). Last week, it was also disclosed that Real Madrid, which is now undergoing a $850 million stadium restoration, had received $379 million as part of an arrangement with Sixth Street and Legends in which Sixth Street "got the right to participate in the management of certain facilities."In addition, Real Madrid said last week that it had received $379 million as part of a deal with Sixth Street and Legends in which Sixth Street "got the right to participate in the management of certain companies of the new Santiago Bernabéu stadium for a term of 20 years." Real Madrid borrowed an extra $236 million from JP Morgan and Bank of America in November to pay for its new stadium, increasing the total amount borrowed from the banks to $842 million.
Real Madrid has now been the most valuable soccer team in six of our 18 rankings, having previously held the top place in 2019 (Forbes did not collect soccer club valuations in 2020). (Manchester United has the most, with 11 in 2018.)
Barcelona, which was ranked first in the 2021 rankings, is stepping up its stadium efforts, spending $1.6 billion to construct Europe's largest soccer stadium.
To help pay for it, Barcelona signed a multi-year $458 million shirt and stadium sponsorship deal with Spotify, and is reportedly close to a $960 million deal with Goldman Sachs and All Sport Finance in exchange for a 30% stake in Barcelona's broadcast revenues and a portion of future revenues from the team's new stadium complex. Barcelona is the second-most valued soccer team, worth $5 billion, up 6% from a year earlier, and is tied with the NFL's New England Patriots for the seventh-most valuable team in any sport.
Manchester United, which is up 10% to $4.6 billion, completes the top three in soccer. The Red Devils have by far the most fans of any English team and were the second-most lucrative team on our list in 2020-21, with $128 million in operational income. Manchester United, on the other hand, was ousted in the Round of 16 of the Champions League this season, and its sixth-place result in the Premier League means it will miss out on Champions League prize money in 2022-23.
2022 WORLD SOCCER TEAM VALUES
1. REAL MADRID
2. BARCELONA
3. MANCHESTER UNITED
4. LIVERPOOL
5. BAYERN MUNICH
6. MANCHESTER CITY
7. PARIS SAINT-GERMAIN
8. CHELSEA
9. JUVENTUS
10. TOTTENHAM HOTSPUR
