This year’s Premiership is still to be decided with Arsenal and Chelsea contending with Man Utd.
There is however no such ambivalence with the Forbes 2011 soccer valuations. Man Utd is tops once again for the seventh year running at $1.86 billion. Real Madrid follows with $1.4 billion and Arsenal who meet the most valuable club on May 4th are third at $1.19 billion.
The soccer world seems to have done better than the global financial markets with the top 20 clubs registering an increase of $640 million net worth, an impressive 1.3% over last year. Average operating income also rose 25% to $40 million.
The Premiership can also count Chelsea ($658m), Liverpool ($552m), Tottenham ($412m), and Man City ($291m) in the top 20.
Chelsea’s owner Roman Abramovich converted his massive loans into equity through his holding company which needs to be repaid as he’s the owner of both entities. The debt drags down the valuation.
Liverpool’s valuation dropped a steep 33% from last year saddled with debt by its previous owners George Gillett and Tom Hicks.
Tottenham shows impressive growth with an 11% increase reflecting its CL participation and strong brand following. 33,000 on the ticket waiting list and an estimated 116m followers worldwide.
Man City are pumped up by Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan’s $577m of personal loans. The club’s valuation has increased 13% from Europa Cup participation, merchandising revenue, and boosted ticket sales.
For more on the top 20 >>