LONDON (AP) — Manchester United has been ranked soccer’s most valuable team by Forbes magazine for the seventh year in a row, while Barcelona’s valuation has dropped.
Taking into account income, profitability and debt levels, the American business magazine’s valuation of Man United has risen slightly to $1.9 billion.
United is again followed by Real Madrid and Arsenal, but Barcelona has been dislodged from fourth place in the rankings by Bayern Munich, with the valuation of the Spanish champions slipping below the $1-billion mark to $975 million.
Forbes executive editor Mike Ozanian says Barcelona’s decline is due to “a combination of high debt, a stronger U.S. dollar and uncertainty surrounding the financial stability of the media company that broadcasts their games.”
