The 10 most valuable football clubs in the world in 2023: Manchester United and Liverpool both make the top four

Real Madrid's Vinicius Junior, Manchester United's Bruno Fernandes and Barcelona's Robert Lewandowski. TEAMtalk montage.

Football is an extremely lucrative sport and some of the biggest clubs in the world are now valued at over $6billion.

Chelsea were recently sold in a record-breaking deal and a lot of football owners have now started to consider a full or partial sale.

Using the data from Forbes Magazine, we’ve taken a look at the 10 most valuable football clubs in the world in 2023.

It will be no surprise to learn that the Premier League dominates the list, although a La Liga team takes the top spot.

10. Arsenal – $2.26billion

One of six Premier League clubs in this list, Arsenal have risen from their 2022 rankings of 11th after increasing their value by 10%.

But their current value is still lower than it was in 2021 when the American magazine determined that Arsenal’s worth was $2.8billion.

Spotify CEO and Arsenal fan Daniel Ek tried to buy the club back in May 2021, but his $2.5billion bid was rejected by Stan Kroenke.

9. Tottenham – $2.8billion

While Tottenham have only won the League Cup under Daniel Levy’s stewardship, their value has soared in recent years and they are above their north London rivals.

Forbes also revealed that Spurs have been the most profitable football club over the past three years after recording an operating income – earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization – of $414million.

“If you separate Tottenham in terms of what happens on the pitch and what happens off of it – Daniel Levy probably is worth every penny that he earns,” finance expert Kieran Maguire told Football Insider.

“He has created a stadium that will at the very least be in the top two in terms of matchday income in the UK. They will be challenged for the top spot by Arsenal next season after they qualified for Europe.

“The ability to sign commercial arrangements is very good, and the wage control is absolutely excellent.”

8. Chelsea – $3.1billion

A consortium led by Todd Boehly and Clearlake Capital spent $3.1billion to buy Chelsea from Roman Abramovich in the summer of 2022.

According to The Athletic, senior figures at other Premier League sides believe that Boehly overpaid but Forbes valued the club at the same price.

Despite the fact that Chelsea endured a turbulent 2022/23 season, their value has remained the same over the last 12 months and they have retained eighth spot on the list.

Todd Boehly of Chelsea

7. Paris Saint-Germain – $4.21billion

In the last 12 months, Paris Saint-Germain have seen their valuation sky rocket by 32% – taking their value to $4.21billion.

“We bought the club for €70million and today it’s worth over €4billion,” PSG owner Nasser Al-Khelaifi told talkSPORT. “We have different offers. Yes, it’s a fantastic business and are we doing a good project? I believe yes.

“In football you take decisions and you can decide the wrong decisions. We are also honest, we are doing our best.

“We brought the club from where we were to where we are today and I think we should be proud.”

Al-Khelaifi also claimed that he had rejected a €4billion offer for the French champions but Qatar Sports Investment (QSI) are reportedly looking to sell a 15% stake in the club.

6. Bayern Munich – $4.86billion

Unsurprisingly, Bayern Munich are the Bundesliga’s sole representative in the top 10 and Forbes have calculated their worth to $4.86billion.

Bayern, who have won 11 consecutive league titles, are widely regarded as one of the best-run clubs in the world and they were able to report after-tax profits throughout the pandemic-hit period.

Forbes claim that they now rake in $1.38billion in broadcasting revenue and $2.11billion in commercial income while match-day income tallies at $455million.

5. Manchester City – $4.99billion

City made history in 2022/23, becoming just the second English team to win the Premier League, the FA Cup and the Champions League in one season.

Pep Guardiola’s side are also performing off the pitch as their value has increased from $4.25billion to $4.99billion in the last 12 months.

According to Forbes, they are working on a world-high $175million operating income and are generating the most revenue at $815million.

4. Liverpool – $5.29billion

Fenway Sports Group bought Liverpool for $360.5million in 2010 and their initial investment has multiplied more than tenfold over the past 13 years.

During that time, the Reds have won the Premier League, the FA Cup, two League Cups, the Champions League, the UEFA Super Cup and a FIFA World Club Cup.

The Athletic reported in November 2022 that FSG were prepared to sell the club if they received an offer in the region of $4.8billion.

But the American consortium didn’t receive any concrete offers and they are now looking to sell a minority stake in the club.

3. Barcelona – $5.51billion

Despite their well-publicised financial problems, Barcelona’s value has still grown by 10% in the last year and now sits at $5.51billion.

But their revenue looks set to drop in 2023/24 as they move to the nearby Lluis Companys Olympic Stadium while the Nou Camp undergoes substantial renovations.

The stadium has a capacity of only 55,926 and Barcelona reportedly estimate that the move will cost them around €90million annually.

2. Manchester United – $6billion

After finishing third in this ranking in 2022, United have usurped Barcelona and reclaimed their spot in the top two.

Their value has reached $6billion for the first time ever and that represents a 30% increase compared to last year’s valuation.

The Glazer family, who have owned the club since 2005, are now looking to sell up and are said to be asking for a world record price.

Sheikh Jassim bin Hamad Al Thani of Qatar and Sir Jim Ratcliffe’s Ineos Group are the two leading contenders to purchase the Red Devils.

While Ratcliffe has bid for a 60% stake in the club, Jassim wants to buy United from the Glazers outright and his bid is reportedly worth around $6.3billion.

1. Real Madrid – $6.07billion

For a second consecutive year, Madrid have topped Forbes’ list of the most valuable football clubs in the world.

Los Blancos were valued at $5.1billion by the American business magazine in 2022 and have since seen their valuation rise by 19%.

The impressive figures are thanks in large part to Madrid’s on-field success but they also improved their revenue in 2022/23 by signing a 20-year deal with Sixth Street and Legends, which secured the club a whopping $400million.

Since Forbes began publishing the list of the world’s most valuable football teams in 2004, Madrid have now come out on top seven times.

READ MORE: Ranking the Premier League clubs by their transfer net spend in 2023: Chelsea top, Man Utd 15th…