Real Madrid top football’s rich list ahead of Barcelona and Man United

A report by Forbes has shown that Spanish giants Real Madrid are the world’s most valuable football team, with domestic rivals Barcelona and English powerhouses Manchester United next on the list.

A detailed breakdown of financial figures has been released by the prestigious media source, which show the Santiago Bernabeu side topping the football lists.

The team from the Spanish capital is valued at an astonishing $3.65 billion, with Barcelona next at $3.55bn and United worth $3.32bn.

Madrid come in second on the value list for all sports, with NFL franchise the Dallas Cowboys in first place and valued at an astonishing $4 billion.

Much of the riches of Europe’s elite teams come from Champions League distributions, where Italian side Juventus topped the list for 2014-15.

The Serie A side were beaten in the final of the competition by Barcelona, but netted $101 million compared to the Catalans’ $69 million over the course of the tournament.

Looking at domestic television revenue, the upcoming deal for the English Premier League is set to blow the competition out of the water.

The deal due to start in the 2017-19 period will see England’s 20 top-tier clubs distribute a whopping $2.6 billion, with the closest competitor Serie A’s $1.08 billion for the years 2016-18.

READ MORE: Have TV billions made the English Premier League more competitive?

Despite this, during the 2014-15 campaign, it was Spain’s big two that earned the most from television revenue.

Barcelona were the top earners with $192 million, closely followed by Madrid on $189 million. Of the remaining 18 places in the top 20, English sides take 17, with Juve parked between Aston Villa and Hull City in 19th place.

Madrid again are the top dogs in shirt, kit and stadium sponsorship and revenue, with the Spaniards netting $220 million for 2014-15.

United are in close competition on $209 million, but there is a significant drop to third-placed Bayern Munich with $111 million.

READ MORE: UEFA considering Champions League revamp to match Premier League revenues

Finally, looking at the price of season tickets for the current campaign makes grim reading for Italian sides.

A struggling AC Milan have not given fans their money’s worth, having the most expensive season tickets at $5,177.

Modest Sicilian outfit Palermo are staggeringly second in Europe with tickets at $4,305 while Lazio and Fiorentina are next on the list.

Arsenal are fifth on the list of most expensive season tickets, with North London rivals Tottenham sixth.