Manchester United are worth a cool £1.4 Billion according to Forbes who rank them number 1 in the world. United are closely followed by Spanish giants Real Madrid who are valued at £1.17 billion with Barcelona some way behind at £816 million.

Forbes said : “Manchester United’s global fan base of 330m helps make them the most valuable team in any sport,”. Bayern Munich and  Arsenal make up the next 2 spots. It will surprise some people that Arsenal are so high up in the list, when they do not outlay money on big name signings. This could raise the question of why Arsene Wenger does not go out and purchase a few super stars to make their team title contenders.

The research added: “The top teams on the pitch are going to continue to get richer. This year’s Champions League payout will be higher than 2011 for the 32 tournament teams.”

The list is below:

• 1. Manchester United – $2.235bn (£1.396bn)
• 2. Real Madrid – $1.877bn (£1.17bn)
• 3. Barcelona – $1.307bn (£816m)
• 4. Arsenal – $1.292bn (£807m)
• 5. Bayern Munich – $1.235bn (£770m)
• 6. AC Milan – $989m (£615m)
• 7. Chelsea – $761m (£473m)
• 8. Liverpool – $619m (£385m)
• 9. Juventus – $591m (£367m)
• 10. Schalke 04 – $587m (£365m)
• 11. Tottenham Hotspur -$564m (£351m)
• 13. Manchester City – $443m (£275m