If you’re familiar with the Billionaires handbook, Forbes, then you’ll know that they love nothing more than to produce lists. The most reputable of these is the world’s top billionaires but today we saw them release another of the most anticipated lists that they produce – the world’s richest soccer teams.
Topping the list for a fifth consecutive year are English Premier League leaders Manchester United who are valued at $1.86bn (£1.15bn). Second place on the list is property of Spanish club Real Madrid who have a net worth of $1.45bn with the top three completed by London side Arsenal who are worth $1.19bn.
Barcelona slipped one place to fifth with a value of $975m with Bayern moving above them into fourth as their worth hit $1.1bn.
Forbes executive editor, Mike Ozania, said, “The top soccer teams that can consistently qualify for the big European tournaments are increasing in value in large part because they reaping the benefits of higher broadcasting and sponsorship revenue.”
In addition to this, the Global Sports Salaries Survey 2011 was released today and it showed that the New York Yankees are no longer the highest paying sports team in the world. Barcelona and Real Madrid took over the baseball franchise after their average first team wages outstripped the Bronx Bombers.
Barcelona an average per annum wage of £4.94m, or just over £95k a week, whereas Madrid trailed on £4.6m.
“We’ve known for years that the biggest bucks have been in American basketball and baseball but the rise and rise in wages among the elite of European football continues, closing that gap,” Nick Harris, the editor of sportingintelligence.com and author of the report, said in a statement.
“UEFA’s Financial Fair Play regulations may act as a brake on this inflation in football pay in a few years’ time but for now the big guns in Europe are still splashing out.”
The Yankees paid their players a mere £4.2m average per annum with the LA Lakers, Orlando Magic, and Chelsea the next three teams on the list.
