Manchester United has been ranked as the third most valuable football club globally by Forbes.

With the turbulence of the post-Sir Alex Ferguson era greatly impacting performances on the pitch, many believed it to only be a matter of time before that drop off is reflected in the value of the club.

However, its value appears to have been protected further with Forbes ranking the club as one of the top three most valuable football clubs on the planet and one of the top 20 sports teams globally.

The Glazer-owned club has been valued at £3.9billion by the American business magazine, falling just below Real Madrid’s £4.4bn and Barcelona’s £4.3bn valuations.

With talk abound that the Glazers could soon cash in on their asset amid a turbulent period for their ownership in which supporters have turned en masse against, it is clear that they would be set for a significant windfall should they decide to sell.

The American family bought the club for around £790m in 2005, ensuring they would be set for a healthy profit on their investment if they were to sell today.

United has seen its value rise by 24 per cent in the last five years with performances on the pitch not impacting its general market value.

Real Madrid has seen its stock rise by 42 per cent across the same period while Barcelona’s has risen by 39 per cent.

Despite the Premier League’s overall financial dominance of the global footballing landscape, the two Spanish giants are still considered the formative clubs in terms of value worldwide.

With Chelsea recently breaking the record for being the most expensive sports team ever when it was sold to Todd Boehly and Clearlake for £4.25bn, it is believed United would exceed that price should it be sold.

Liverpool is the next highest ranked English football club, valued at £3.8bn. Their astonishing transformation under Jurgen Klopp is reflected in the fact that the value of the club has risen by an astonishing 197 per cent since 2017.

The top 20, meanwhile, is largely dominated by American football teams which continue to lead the field for the most valuable sporting assets.

Dallas Cowboys and the New England Patriots, owned by Jerry Jones and Robert Kraft, respectively, lead the table in first and second. The Cowboys are valued at an eye-watering £6.8bn while Kraft’s side are valued at £5.5bn.

The rest of the top five is made up by the Stan Kroenke-owned Los Angeles Rams (£5.3bn), baseball giants New York Yankees (£5.1bn) and the New York Giants (£5.1bn).

The financial might of the globe’s most notable sports teams is reflected in the list published by Forbes. Such is the value attached to sport the value of the teams combined stretches into the hundreds of billions.

Bayern Munich and Manchester City, valued at £3.66bn and £3.6bn respectively, come in at 22nd and 23rd. City has seen their value increase by 102 per cent over the past five years.

Chelsea prop up the top 50, despite the price Boehly and Clearlake paid only in the spring. Forbes has them valued at £2.67bn. (Daily Independent)

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