Liverpool close in on Manchester United in the list of the world’s most valuable clubs as Premier League champions rise to fourth in the rankings… but do Real Madrid or Barcelona take the coveted No 1 spot?
- Liverpool are fourth in the worldwide rankings after their Premier League victory
- Manchester United are now just £47m ahead as the most valuable English club
- Both are some way behind the top-two of LaLiga duo Real Madrid and Barcelona
- Chelsea are eighth worldwide, while Tottenham are £58.9m ahead of Arsenal
Liverpool are closing in on Manchester United as England’s most valuable football club after their Premier League title triumph, according to the latest edition of the Brand Finance Football Annual.
The Reds are up to fourth in the worldwide rankings, with their value rising by six per cent to £1.143billion (€1.262bn), just £47million behind Manchester United’s £1.190bn (€1.314bn) valuation – which represents a drop of nearly 11 per cent on the previous year.
However, both clubs are some way behind leading LaLiga duo of Real Madrid and Barcelona, with the former retaining top spot despite making nearly a 14 per cent loss, with the coronavirus crisis causing the total brand value of top 50 clubs to fall for the first time in six years.
Liverpool are inching closer to being England’s most valuable club after their title triumph
The valuation of Ed Woodward’s Manchester United dropped by 10.7 per cent to £1.190billion
| Club | Income/percentage rise or fall |
|---|---|
| 1. REAL MADRID | £1.286bn / 13.8 per cent – |
| 2. BARCELONA | £1.280bn / 1.4 per cent + |
| 3. MANCHESTER UNITED | £1.190bn / 10.7 per cent – |
| 4. LIVERPOOL | £1.143bn / 6 per cent + |
| 5. MANCHESTER CITY | £1.018bn / 10.4 per cent – |
| 6. BAYERN MUNICH | £957m / 19.6 per cent – |
| 7. PSG | £876m / 5.8 per cent + |
| 8. CHELSEA | £859m / 1.9 per cent – |
| 9. TOTTENHAM HOTSPUR | £710m / 3.3 per cent + |
| 10. ARSENAL | £651m / 18.18 per cent – |
The Brand Finance Review shows that Real Madrid are positioned in number one with the total value of their club currently at £1.286bn (€1.419bn).
Barcelona’s value, meanwhile, actually increased by 1.4 per cent – meaning there is now just £5.4m (€6m) between the two clubs at the top of the worldwide rankings – Barcelona’s value is in total £1.280bn (€1.413 bn).
Overall, the top 10 clubs is made up of six English clubs, with Manchester City in fifth after a 10.4 per cent decrease in their valuation to £1.018bn (€1.124bn).
Real Madrid are the wealthiest club on the planet, but are now just £5.4m ahead of Barcelona
The valuation of Barcelona – captained by Lionel Messi – now stands at £1.280billion in total
Chelsea dropped a place to eighth, with their value decreasing for the fourth consecutive year, while Tottenham are ninth just above Arsenal by £58.9m (€65m), who are in 10th.
Spurs enjoyed a three per cent increase in their brand, largely because of the opening of their new £1billion, 60,000-capacity stadium.
Bundesliga champions Bayern Munich are the only German side in the top 10 – they’re positioned sixth in the table – whilst PSG are the only French club and they sit seventh in the table.
Other Premier League clubs also experienced huge increases in valuation, with Leicester City recording a 44 per cent increase to £301m (€333m) as a result of their season in the upper echelons of the table, even though they just missed out on Champions League qualification on Sunday.
Daniel Levy’s Tottenham are above their north London rivals Arsenal by a total of £58.9million
Wolves, who finished seventh in the table and are still in the Europa League, are also 30 per cent higher, with their valuation standing at £219m (€242m).
Some Premier League clubs have experienced a sizeable drop in their brand value, such as Bournemouth (-31 per cent), Watford (-21 per cent), and West Ham United (-18 per cent).
Overall, the effect of COVID-19 on the three main revenue streams for clubs – matchday, broadcasting and commercial – has seen £680m (€751m), or 3.7 per cent, knocked off the cumulative brand value of the world’s top 50 most valuable football clubs.
