Most valuable soccer clubs of 2016

Mar 6, 2016; Houston, TX, USA; General view of soccer balls before a game between the Houston Dynamo and the New England Revolution at BBVA Compass Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Troy Taormina-USA TODAY Sports
Mar 6, 2016; Houston, TX, USA; General view of soccer balls before a game between the Houston Dynamo and the New England Revolution at BBVA Compass Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Troy Taormina-USA TODAY Sports /
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Here is the list of the top 20 most valuable soccer clubs of 2016, according to Forbes.

Sport as a whole continues to expand at a rapid rate with no real sign of slowing down in sight. More people than ever are consuming sports through various media, resulting in massive revenue streams for almost every team and league.

As the “global game,” soccer is at the extreme end of the spectrum as it continues to grow exponentially both financially and in popularity. The top performing clubs often generate hundreds of millions of dollars annually with numerous teams listed among the most valuable organizations in all of sports.

The lucrative nature of this sport has translated in to monstrous contracts for its best players. Real Madrid’s Cristiano Ronaldo and Barcelona’s Lionel Messi, are the two highest paid athletes in the world, earning $88 million and $81.4 million a year, respectively.

The top 20 clubs in the world are worth an average of $1.44 billion, a 24 percent  increase from 2015. Of the 20 teams on the 2016 Forbes list, eight are from the Premier League, five are from Serie A, three are from La Liga, three are from the Bundesliga and one is from Ligue 1.

Here are the top 20 most valuable soccer clubs of 2016:

  1. Real Madrid: $3.645 billion
  2. Barcelona: $3.549 billion
  3. Manchester United: $3.317 billion
  4. Bayern Munich: $2.678 billion
  5. Arsenal: $2.017 billion
  6. Manchester City: $1.921 billion
  7. Chelsea: $1.661 billion
  8. Liverpool: $1.548 billion
  9. Juventus: $1.299 billion
  10. Tottenham Hotspur: $1.017 billion
  11. Borussia Dortmund: $836 million
  12. AC Milan: $825 million
  13. Paris Saint-Germain: $814 million
  14. Schalke: $655 million
  15. Atletico de Madrid: $633 million
  16. Inter Milan: $559 million
  17. West Ham United: $542 million
  18. AS Roma: $508 million
  19. Napoli: $396 million
  20. Newcastle United: $383 million

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