The 7 most valuable sports teams in the world
Real Madrid have retained their place as the world's most valuable sports team.
According to Forbes' list of the top 50 teams, the reigning Champions League winners generated more revenue than any other team and are valued at US$3.44 billion ($4.3b).
Real's La Liga rivals Barcelona came in second, displacing Manchester United, who slipped to third.
While Europe's elite football teams placed in the top three, the list was dominated by American teams.
Aside from United, the English Premier League was represented by Arsenal (No. 16, US$1.331b), Chelsea (No. 48, US$867m) and Manchester City (No. 49, US$863m).
Here are the top seven teams on Forbes' list:
1) Real Madrid (Spain, football)
Value: US$3.44b
With their coffers boosted by their 2-1 victory over city rivals Atletico Madrid to win the Champions League, the Real marketing machine isn't showing any sign of letting up.
World player of the year Cristiano Ronaldo has been a key money-maker for Los Blancos, who raked in US$675m for the 2012/13 season.
2) Barcelona (Spain, football)
Value: $3.2b
They might have had a trophyless season, but Barcelona's value still continues to soar as they rose past Manchester United into second place.
Aside from boasting marketable stars like Lionel Messi and Neymar, the Catalonian outfit are set to renovate their Nou Camp home to install a roof and bring their capacity up to a staggering 105,000.
3) Manchester United (England, football)
Value: US$2.81b
Even the disastrous reign of David Moyes has failed to put a dent into the Red Devils' marketing plans.
Despite losing out on European competition with a poor seventh-place finish in the English Premier League and slipping to third on Forbes' list - they were No. 1 in 2012 - United still had enough pulling power to convince adidas to sign a mammoth kit deal worth US$1.3b over 10 years, the biggest of its kind in sports history.
4) New York Yankees (US, baseball)
Value: US$2.5b
The most valuable non-football team on the list, the biggest contributor to the Yankees' value is TV after Fox raised their ownership stake in the regional Yankees Entertainment and Sports Network (YES) to 80 per cent.
5) Dallas Cowboys (US, American football)
Value: US$2.3b
The NFL's most valuable team since 2007 with their sponsorship and premium seating revenues, the Cowboys received an additional boost to their value after they sold a 25-year stadium naming rights deal to AT&T worth US$500m.
6) Los Angeles Dodgers (baseball, US)
Value: US$2b
Like the Yankees, one of the main driving forces for the Dodgers is television after they were given the go-ahead by the MLB to ink a 25-year deal with Time Warner Cable worth a whopping US$8.25b.
7) Bayern Munich (football, Germany)
Value: US$1.85b
The 2013 Champions League winners were the biggest movers in the top 10 of Forbes' list, leaping five spots into seventh.
The Bundesliga champions raked in US$308m in commercial revenue according to Deloitte and lead the Bundesliga in shirt sponsorships (US$40m a year with Duetsche Telekom) and kit deals (US$38m a year with adidas).
See Forbes' full list of 50 most valuable sports teams in the world in pictures starting with Real Madrid here.
Source: Forbes
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