Manchester United have been rated as the world's most valuable football club as Premier League sides took six of the top 13 places in the new Forbes valuation list.


United are valued at £1.4bn by Forbes magazine, which means they retain the number one rating for the eighth year in a row.

Arsenal are fourth with a value of £805m with Chelsea (£474m) seventh and Liverpool (£386m) in eighth.

Tottenham Hotspur (£352m) are in 11th with Manchester City (£276m) in 13th.

"Manchester United's global fan base of some 330 million also helps makes it the most valuable team in any sport"
- Forbes executive editor Mike Ozanian The Barclays Premier League has a collective rights selling model and an equitable distribution of broadcast revenues, which perhaps explains why the English clubs have the largest representation in the top-20 with six clubs, followed by Italy (five), Germany (four), Spain (three) and France (two).

Forbes says Manchester United, the 12-time Barclays Premier League champions, are worth 20% more than last year and are ranked as the most valuable team in any sport in the world.

They are worth £240m more than baseball's New York Yankees and the American Football side Dallas Cowboys from the National Football League.

Forbes executive editor Mike Ozanian said: "Manchester United's global fan base of some 330 million also helps makes it the most valuable team in any sport."

The report stated that the five teams that were worth at least £623m ($1bn), Manchester United, Read Madrid, Barcelona, Arsenal and Bayern Munich, have capitalised on having strong brands.

"Not only do these teams reap direct revenue from finishing near the top of their domestic leagues and tournament competition, but they also generate rich sponsorship and merchandise deals from the powerful brands they have built through success on the pitch over time," added Ozanian.

Forbes start to formulate their valuations by using the Deloitte Football Money League report, which ranks clubs by revenue generation, before conducting their own research which includes "reviewing financial documents and speaking to sports bankers, to derive operating income, debt and values for each team".

Top 20 clubs in the Forbes Football Valuation League

1. Manchester United (£1.4bn)
2. Real Madrid (£1.17bn)
3. FC Barcelona (£814m)
4. Arsenal (£805m)
5. Bayern Munich (£769m)
6. AC Milan (£616m)
7. Chelsea (£474m)
8. Liverpool (£386m)
9. Juventus (£368m)
10. Schalke 04 (£365m)
11. Tottenham Hotspur (£352m)
12. Internazionale (£305m)
13. Manchester City (£276m)
14. Borussia Dortmund (£245m)
15. Olympique Lyonnais (240m)
16. Hamburger SV (£221m)
17. AS Roma (£220m)
18. Olympique de Marseille (£217m)
19. Valencia (£179m)
20. Napoli (£176m)