Real Madrid is the most successful team in European history, with 9 European Cup\/Champion\u2019s League titles. Although 2nd\u00a0to Barcelona in terms of total Spanish championships, Real Madrid has been considered one of the elite-tier teams in the world for decades without interruption. They have a total brand value of $3.3 billion, up 76% from 2012, and in 2013 pulled in revenues of $650 million. The\u00a0gal\u00e1cticos\u00a0<\/i>policy of bringing in huge stars by paying massive contracts has clearly worked out for the bottom line, if not always on the field. The Real Madrid brand is recognizable even to people who don\u2019t follow soccer, which makes their valuation sky-high. As always, they\u2019ll be looking to add to their legend this year by winning a record 10th\u00a0European championship, a feat which would send their already astronomical value even further.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n 2. Manchester United \u2013 $3.17 Billion<\/strong><\/p>\n Manchester United is without question the most prestigious English club of the modern era. Under longtime coach\u00a0Alex Ferguson<\/a>\u00a0they achieved multiple Premier League and Champion\u2019s League titles, and expanded the Man-U brand internationally. Like Barcelona and Real Madrid for the Spanish-speaking world, Manchester United is the most recognizable soccer brand across English-speaking nations. With a stock that is traded on the London Stock Exchange and a valuation of $3.17 billion, the red devils are force of nature in the sporting world. They reaped $502 million in revenues in 2013, and their valuation was up 42% from 2012. New coach\u00a0David Moyes<\/a>\u00a0has had a difficult start, but the gargantuan that is Manchester United will undoubtedly return to their winning ways soon enough.<\/p>\n Catalan giants Barcelona have been the most successful squad of the 21st\u00a0century. Home toLionel Messi<\/a>, among other world-class players, Barcelona was valued at a massive $2.6 billion in 2013. The club operates under a unique financial structure; the club is owned and operated by the supporters themselves. Barcelona\u2019s valuation in 2013 was up a ridiculous 99% from 2012, and they have become one of the richest and most supported sporting clubs, not just in soccer, but on the planet. They are the most successful team in Spanish league history, and this season are trying to defend their La Liga championship against longtime rivals Real Madrid and the surprising success of Atl\u00e9tico Madrid.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Arsenal is one of the most successful English clubs in history, and was founded in 1886 in London, where they remain to this day. Their modern success can be traced to the 1996 appointment of\u00a0Ars\u00e8ne Wenger<\/a>\u00a0as head coach, who led them to multiple cup victories and domestic league titles during his tenure, notably the 2003-2004 season- \u201cThe Invincibles\u201d \u2013 where they won without losing a single game. Although they have been in a championship drought since 2005, Arsenal is consistently near the top of the Premier League and in the Champion\u2019s League. In 2013 they were valued at $1.33 billion, up 3% from 2012.<\/p>\n The lone German team on the list is also, arguably, the best team in the world on current form. Bayern Munich won the 2013 Champion\u2019s League against league rivals Borussia Dortmund, and since then has only strengthened its squad with the acquisition of\u00a0Mario Gotze<\/a>\u00a0and, beginning next season, striker Robert Lewandowski. In 2013 they were valued at $1.31 billion, making them by far the most valuable German team in the world. New coach Pep Guardiola, who led Barcelona during their most dominant period in recent memory, has handled Bayern Munich exceptionally well so far. The club\u2019s total value grew 6% from 2012 to 2013, and I can only imagine that it\u2019ll grow at an even bigger pace when the 2014 report is released later this year.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" ”The real measure of your wealth is how much you’d be worth if you lost all your money.” Some clubs spend more than they make, some are in debts and they claim to be rich. How does the world measure real wealth in soccer? Forbes, a magazine focused on wealth, does an annual ranking of […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2270,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[60,81],"tags":[37],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/africanexaminer.com\/sports\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2269"}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/africanexaminer.com\/sports\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/africanexaminer.com\/sports\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/africanexaminer.com\/sports\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/africanexaminer.com\/sports\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2269"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"http:\/\/africanexaminer.com\/sports\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2269\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2274,"href":"http:\/\/africanexaminer.com\/sports\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2269\/revisions\/2274"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/africanexaminer.com\/sports\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2270"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/africanexaminer.com\/sports\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2269"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/africanexaminer.com\/sports\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2269"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/africanexaminer.com\/sports\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2269"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}![\"Real-Madrid-Symbol\"](\"http:\/\/static4.therichestimages.com\/cdn\/728\/410\/90\/c\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/02\/Real-Madrid-Symbol.jpg\")
<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n3. Barcelona \u2013 $2.6 Billion<\/strong><\/h1>\n
<\/a><\/p>\n4. Arsenal \u2013 $1.33 Billion<\/strong><\/h1>\n
<\/a><\/p>\n5. Bayern Munich \u2013 $1.31 Billion<\/strong><\/h1>\n
<\/a><\/p>\n