Real Madrid are the most valuable sports team in the world finishing ahead of NFL giants Dallas Cowboys and MLB’s New York Yankees for a third successive year in Forbes’ annual list.
The 10-time Champions League winners topped the magazine’s list, dwarfing La Liga rivals Barcelona’s figure by over £50million with an estimated valuation of £2,087m ($3,263m).
Manchester United were the only Barclays Premier League club to feature in the top 10, although they are joined by Manchester City, Chelsea and Arsenal in the wider 50-team long-list.
American business magazine Forbes have been valuing teams from major sports leagues since 1998, and sides from their native sports in the US make up most of the table with just seven football clubs included.
Behind Barca, on £2,023m ($3,163m) in fourth, and United, valued at £1,975m ($3,104m), in fifth, Los Angeles Lakers, New England Patriots, New York Knicks, Los Angeles Dodgers and Washington Redskins make up the top 10.
Bundesliga champions Bayern Munich are just outside the leading pack with a value of £1,502m ($2,347m). City are 29th, Chelsea are 30th and Arsenal are at 36.
Interestingly, the three mainland European clubs among the big-money teams are all member-owned while the English sides rely on private ownership.
FORBES’ TOP 50 MOST VALUABLE SPORTS TEAMS IN THE WORLD
1. Real Madrid (Club members) £2,087m ($3,263million)
2. Dallas Cowboys (Jerry Jones) £2,047m ($3,200m)
2. New York Yankees (Steinbrenner family) £2,047m ($3,200m)
4. Barcelona (Club members) £2,023m ($3,163m)
5. Manchester United (Glazer family) £1,985m ($3,104m)
6. Los Angeles Lakers (Jerry Buss Family Trusts, Philip Anschutz) £1,663m ($2,600m)
6. New England Patriots (Robert Kraft) £1,663m ($2,600m)
8. New York Knicks (Madison Square Garden Company) £1,599m ($2,500m)
9. Los Angeles Dodgers (Guggenheim Baseball Management) £1,535m ($2,400m)
9. Washington Redskins (Daniel Snyder) £1,535m ($2,400m)
11. Bayern Munich (Club members) £1,502m ($2,347m)
12. Boston Red Sox (John Henry, Thomas Werner) £1,343m ($2,100m)
12. New York Giants (John Mara, Steven Tisch) £1,343m ($2,100m)
14. Chicago Bulls (Jerry Reinsdorf) £1,279m ($2,000m)
14. San Francisco Giants (Charles Johnson) £1,279m ($2,000m)
16. Houston Texans (Robert McNair) £1,183m ($1,850m)
17. Chicago Cubs (Ricketts Family) £1,151m ($1,800m)
17. New York Jets (Robert Wood Johnson IV) £1,151m ($1,800m)
19. Philadelphia Eagles (Jeffrey Lurie) £1,119m ($1,750m)
20. Boston Celtics (Wycliffe & Irving Grousbeck, Robert Epstein, Stephen Pagliuca) £1,087m ($1,700m)
20. Chicago Bears (McCaskey family) £1,087m ($1,700m)
22. Los Angeles Clippers (Steve Ballmer) £1,023m ($1,600m)
22. San Francisco 49ers (John & Denise DeBartolo York) £1,023m ($1,600m)
24. Baltimore Ravens (Stephen Bisciotti) £959m ($1,500m)
24. Brooklyn Nets (Mikhail Prokhorov, Bruce Ratner) £959m ($1,500m)
26. Denver Broncos (Pat Bowlen Trust) £927m ($1,450m)
27. Indianapolis Colts (James Irsay) £895m ($1,400m)
27. St Louis Cardinals (William DeWitt Jr) £895m ($1,400m)
29. Green Bay Packers (Shareholder-owned) £879m ($1,375m)
29. Manchester City (Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan) £879m ($1,375m)
31. Chelsea (Roman Abramovich) £876m ($1,370m)
32. Ferrari (Fiat Group) £863m ($1,350m)
32. New York Mets (Fred & Jeff Wilpon, Saul Katz) £863m ($1,350m)
32. Pittsburgh Steelers (Daniel Rooney, Art Rooney II) £863m ($1,350m)
32. Pittsburgh Steelers (Daniel Rooney, Art Rooney II) £863m ($1,350m)
35. Seattle Seahawks (Paul Allen) £851m ($1,330m)
36. Arsenal (Stanley Kroenke) £836 ($1,307m)
37. Golden State Warriors (Joe Lacob, Peter Guber) £831m ($1,300m)
37. Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim (Arturo Moreno) £831m ($1,300m)
37. Miami Dolphins (Stephen Ross) £831m ($1,300m)
37. Toronto Maple Leafs (Bell Canada, Rogers Communications) £831m ($1,300m)
41. Washington Nationals (Lerner Family) £819m ($1,280m)
42. Carolina Panthers (Jerry Richardson, Carolina PSLFC) £799m ($1,250m)
42. Houston Rockets (Leslie Alexander) £799m ($1,250m)
42. Philadelphia Phillies (Partnership led by Pat Gillick) £799m ($1,250m)
45. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (Glazer Family) £783m ($1,225m)
46. Texas Rangers (Ray Davis, Bob Davis) £780m ($1,220m)
47. Miami Heat (Micky Arison) £752m ($1,175m)
48. Tennessee Titans (Adams Family) £742m ($1,160m)
49. Atlanta Braves (Liberty Media) £736m ($1,150m)
49. Dallas Mavericks (Mark Cuban) £736m ($1,150m)
49. Minnesota Vikings (Zygmunt Wilf) £736m ($1,150m)
