United had held first place since business analyst Forbes started compiling the list in 2004, but have been overtaken by Real in the latest rankings.Real Madrid has been consistently delivering the highest revenues of any soccer team in the world, despite an intense economic meltdown in Spain.Barcelona, the current Spanish league leaders, are in third place, while United's Premier League rivals Arsenal are fourth ahead of newly crowned German champions Bayern Munich.According to this year's soccer valuations, the top 20 teams are worth an average of $968 million (£634 million), an increase of 26 percent over last year.Real Madrid are valued at £2.15 billion ($3.3 billion), making the Spanish club the most valuable sports franchise in the world, and United at £2.07 billion.Paris Saint Germain's David Beckham still tops the list of highest-earning footballers with earnings of £33 million, £29 million of which came from endorsements.Forbes said in a statement: "This is the first time since Forbes began valuing soccer teams in 2004 that Manchester United is not No.1 on the list.
No comments:
Post a Comment