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WORLD FOOTBALL

    Manchester United, Real Madrid Top Sportico's 2024 List of Most Valuable Soccer Teams

    Joseph Zucker@@JosephZuckerX.com LogoFeatured Columnist IVMay 8, 2024

    LONDON, ENGLAND - APRIL 21: Rasmus Hojlund and Andre Onana of Manchester United celebrate after winning during the Emirates FA Cup Semi Final match between Coventry City and Manchester United at Wembley Stadium on April 21, 2024 in London. (Photo by Ed Sykes/Sportsphoto/Allstar via Getty Images)
    Ed Sykes/Sportsphoto/Allstar via Getty Images

    The results on the pitch might be lacking, but Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag is delivering in the one facet that has mattered most to the club's ownership.

    Sportico projected United as the most valuable soccer team in the world at $6.2 billion. La Liga giants Real Madrid ($6.06 billion) and Barcelona ($5.2 billion) followed with Liverpool ($5.11 billion) and Bayern Munich ($4.8 billion) rounding out the top five.

    Sportico @Sportico

    These are the 50 MOST VALUABLE soccer clubs in the world: <br><br>European soccer clubs dominate the top of the financial table, but MLS lands the most clubs with 20 in the top 50, more than twice as many as the EPL.<br><br>Full list: <a href="https://t.co/G8pKNPSzKZ">https://t.co/G8pKNPSzKZ</a> <a href="https://t.co/URUhmxQwtV">pic.twitter.com/URUhmxQwtV</a>

    Manchester United has been largely rudderless since legendary manager Alex Ferguson retired following the 2012-13 season, and things are approaching a nadir. The Red Devils are eighth in the Premier League table and fresh off a 4-0 hammering at the hands of Crystal Palace.

    The club nonetheless remains a money-printing machine, and that was reaffirmed in February when Jim Ratcliffe spent $1.25 billion for only a 25 percent ownership stake.

    Failing to qualify for the Champions League for the 2024-25 season is unlikely to dent United's financial profile too much.

    The primacy 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.

    Manchester United, Real Madrid Top Sportico's 2024 List of Most Valuable Soccer Teams
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    A bigger revelation is Major League Soccer having five clubs in the top 20.

    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 a boon to each club's valuation as well. From a revenue perspective, there's no threat of a team falling to a lesser league and getting the accompanying financial hit.

    A segment of American fans have long lobbied for a promotion/relegation system for the United States' top leagues. With the amount of money flowing into MLS, that ship has probably sailed for good.