KPMG Football Rich List

 

Manchester United and Real Madrid are neck-and-neck as world football's commercial and financial powerhouses, according to a new rich list. Both clubs have a value of just over £2.2bn each, putting them just ahead of third-placed Barcelona in the KPMG survey.

Real continue to capitalise on their proud tradition of success and large global fanbase to generate revenue, while United have benefited from lucrative domestic and global Premier League TV deals.

The presence of five English clubs in the top 10 of the ranking owes much to television revenue, which is set to increase further from next season. The study also shows how Real, United and Barcelona have far and away the greatest commercial pull around the world, with the value of those three clubs representing one-third of the near-£20bn cumulative value of the 32 clubs listed.

Barcelona come in third on the ranking with an enterprise value of £2.09bn, followed by German champions Bayern Munich on £1.63bn and Arsenal on £1.26bn. Man City are sixth on £1.23bn, Chelsea seventh on £1.1bn and Liverpool eighth on £0.96bn. With a total enterprise value of over £7.6bn, the seven English clubs on the list account for almost 40 per cent of the overall total of £19.99bn.

Andrea Sartori, KPMG's global head of sports and the author of the report, said: “Thanks to the deal signed by the English Premier League at the beginning of 2015 the difference in terms of broadcasting revenues among the leading European leagues and the Premier League has widened significantly, despite the booming price of domestic broadcasting rights across other parts of Europe”.

And the English clubs will only have their hand strengthened when the new three-year domestic television deal worth £5.14bn comes into effect in August. It could mean that United are able to open daylight over Real and Barcelona as the world's richest club in next year's survey. 

Enterprise value takes into account the true worth of the club and its assets rather than the wealth of its owner’s companies. 

KPMG RICH LIST TOP 10 

1= Real Madrid £2.2bn

1= Manchester United £2.2bn

3 Barcelona £2.09bn

4 Bayern Munich £1.63bn

5 Arsenal £1.26bn

6 Manchester City £1.23bn

7 Chelsea £1.1bn

8 Liverpool £0.96bn

9 Juventus £0.74bn

10 Paris Saint-Germain £0.64bn