Man Utd ranked most valuable football club in world, Liverpool fourth
It has now been 10 years since Manchester United last won the Premier League title, and yet some time ago around six billion dollars was offered to the Glazer family for the club.
At that time, Chelsea was bought by Todd Boehly for 3.16 billion dollars and AC Milan 1.2 billion by RedBird.
Sportico's analysis, which gathered data and opinions from bankers, lawyers and investors directly involved in football, offers a valuation of the most valuable clubs in the world.
Man Utd leads all with 5.95 billion dollars, followed by Real Madrid ($5.23bn), Barcelona ($4.95bn), Liverpool ($4.71bn) and Bayern Munich ($4.46 bn).
The valuations take into account specific revenue, historical sales, marketing, brand, on-field performance and facilities.
"European football is the best live event intellectual property in the world," said Gerry Cardinale, founder and managing partner of RedBird, in a telephone interview, making it clear that his holding company sees a substantial growth opportunity in global football.
"I think AC Milan is one of the best money-making options I've seen," he continued. "It is one of the best global brands in European football and an undervalued asset. It is a hidden gem.
"I always look for opportunities to solve problems through the investment of my capital; and with AC Milan, this foundation was clear to me on a micro level, whereas with Serie A on a macro level."
Cardinale's intention is both to give AC Milan a new home and to close the TV rights gap between Serie A and La Liga in Spain, which currently boasts double the revenue.
For the Premier League, for clarity, we are talking about three times as much.
MLS begins to roar
On the other side of the ocean, the desire of redemption for MLS should be noted - with New York Red Bulls as the top team in the North American league, valued at $525mn.
MLS did not place any team in the top 15, but it boasts an impressive 18 teams overall in the top 50, twice as many as the Premier League; Serie A, on the other hand, is third with seven teams in this particular ranking.
In general, the lack of promotions and relegations in MLS constitutes a kind of scarcity of product, as competitiveness is lowered without the obligation to perform at a certain level.
MLS revenues average only $57mn per team, but the lack of movement helps to establish a valuation base of around $400mn, higher than half of clubs in the Premier League.
