Real Madrid only sit second in the list of most valuable soccer teams of 2024, according to Sportico.
Los Blancos just made it into the Champions League final after edging Bayern Munich in the return leg at Bernabeu. Meanwhile, Man United has been struggling without any major trophies for a long time.
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However, what is shown on the pitch differs from what it takes to make the top spot of Sportico.
Manchester United, Real Madrid Top Sportico’s 2024 List of Most Valuable Soccer Teams
In the list of 50 soccer clubs, Sportico announced Man United as the top club, while the two La Liga giants Real Madrid and Barcelona are second and third, respectively.
United are the world’s most valuable soccer team at $6.2 billion. La Liga giants Real Madrid ($6.06 billion) and Barcelona ($5.2 billion), followed by Liverpool ($5.11 billion) and Bayern Munich ($4.8 billion), rounding out the top five.
Despite the poor results on the pitch, the Red Devils have proven to be a money-printing machine. Erik ten Hag’s side failed to qualify for the Champions League 2024/25 while losing big league games and European competition matches.Â
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Those did not affect the Premier League, whose financial profile is rock solid. Man United’s players are always among the highest-paid footballers of Euro.
The importance of the Premier League writ large comes as little surprise, with more than half of the top 10 coming from England. The Associated Press’ Graham Dunbar reported the total revenue for the 20 PL clubs ($7 billion) nearly matched the combined figures for La Liga and the Bundesliga, the next closest competitions.
A more significant revelation is Major League Soccer, which has five clubs in the top 20, thanks to the arrivals of massive names .
The 10-year, $2.5 billion media rights deal with Apple was a massive windfall for MLS, and the impact of Lionel Messi’s arrival has probably surpassed the league’s expectations.
Sportico’s Kurt Badenhausen explained how the lack of relegation in MLS is also a boon to each club’s valuation. From a revenue perspective, there’s no threat of a team falling to a lesser league and taking the accompanying financial hit.
A segment of American fans have long lobbied for a promotion/relegation system for the United States’ top leagues. That ship has probably sailed for good with the amount of money flowing into MLS.
