Liverpool have been named inside the top five most valuable clubs in world football right now. Only one English side sits above them.
Sportico have announced their list of the most valuable clubs on the planet right now. They’ve named 50 in total, with 16 valued over $1bn.
Liverpool are in fourth, sitting on a perceived valuation of $5.11bn. That’s around £4.09bn in real money.
The only English club above the Reds are Manchester United, who are actually named as the most valuable in world football. $6.2bn in total – a club that somehow manages to do just about everything wrong for a decade and somehow become more valuable.
The two predictable names out of La Liga are sandwiched between United and Liverpool. Real Madrid are second ($6.06bn) and Barcelona third ($5.28bn).
Rounding out the top five are Bayern Munich. They’re valued at $4.8bn, so a fair ways behind Liverpool above them.
As you’d expect, the top 10 is dominated by Premier League sides. Six of them make it, with Manchester City, Arsenal, Tottenham Hotspur and Chelsea. The drop-off from the Blues in 10th to 11th-placed Juventus is extraordinary, too – $1.7bn.
That’s a hell of a gap.
Despite the Premier League dominance of the top 10, it’s actually another league that’s named as the most valuable – Major League Soccer.
20 of the top 50 play in MLS, in fact, which is more than double any other league. There is a good reason for that, however.
The club’s owners in MLS essentially run the league, while there’s no relegation and little hanging on qualification for continental football. In other words, MLS clubs just keep going up in value as there’s next to no risk for owners.
Compare that to the Premier League, where an extended spell of mediocrity can tank your valuation. Unless you’re Manchester United.