Manchester United may only have finished sixth in the Premier League this season but, according to a new report by KPMG, there’s one league they are top of – that of Europe’s most valuable clubs.
The report, “Football Clubs’ Valuation: The European Elite 2017”, values United at £2.78bn – ahead of Spanish giants Real Madrid (£2.67bn) and Barcelona (£2.47bn), which makes United the first club to exceed the £2.62bn (EUR3 bn) threshold in value.
English Premier League clubs dominate the ranking, accounting for approximately 40 percent of the aggregate value. Manchester City are fifth, a place below Bayern Munich, with a value of £1.78bn.
Other English clubs in the top 32 are Arsenal (6th), Chelsea (7th), Liverpool (8th), Tottenham (10th), Leicester (16th), and Everton (17th).
Europe’s 32 leading football clubs grew by 14% compared to the previous season and have a combined value of £26.12bn (EUR 29.9 bn).
“The aggregate value of Europe’s 32 leading football clubs suggests that the overall value of football, as an industry, has grown,” said Andrea Sartori, the report’s author. “While this is partially explained by football’s broadcasting boom, the internationalisation of the clubs’ commercial operations, their investment into privately-owned and modern facilities, and overall more sustainable management practices, are also key reasons for this growth.”
The report is based on an analysis of publicly available financial and non-financial information of the 2014/15 and 2015/16 football seasons for the most prominent 32 football clubs. It does not include the business and sporting results achieved by each club in the 2016/17 season.
It uses a proprietary algorithm which takes into consideration five football-specific metrics: profitability, popularity, sporting potential, broadcasting rights and stadium ownership.
More information here.