Revealed: Manchester United tops the world's most valuable football clubs thanks to staggering £4.9BILLION valuation, study claims - but where does your team sit?

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Manchester United are the most valuable football club in world football according to a new study. 

This season has brought the Premier League side's worth under scrutiny after its Glazer ownership group initially put the club up for sale in the winter of 2022. 

February saw Ineos billionaire Sir Jim Ratcliffe instead complete a partial takeover with the purchase of a 25 per cent stake in the side that allows him control of footballing operations to the tune of £1.3billion. 

But the total worth according to statisticians Sportico is said to be nearly £5bn, with their study on the world's top 50 most valuable clubs estimating their value at £4.96bn ($6.2bn). 

United are one of six Premier League sides to make up the top 20, with European sides Real Madrid - £4.85bn ($6.06bn) - and Barcelona, worth £4.23bn ($5.28bn) rounding out the top three. 

Man United are believed to be the most valuable club in world football according to new study

Sir Jim Ratcliffe (right) purchased a stake in the club for £1.3bn in February (pictured with co-owner Avram Glazer)

Real Madrid (left) and Barcelona (right) round out the top three most valuable football teams

Of Man United's English rivals, the next closest club is Liverpool, which the statisticians have valued at £4.09bn ($5.11bn), with crosstown rivals Manchester City ranking sixth at £3.80bn ($4.75bn).  

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But despite the global dominance of the Premier League across international football, supporters may be surprised by the total number of clubs included in the top 50. 

Just nine English sides in total made the cut - although their worth as a group accounts for a mammoth £23.21bn ($29bn), by far the largest amount of the 10 leagues represented in the top 50. 

Outside of the top 20, these include West Ham, ranked 27th with an estimated value of £580m ($725m), Newcastle in 32nd worth £560m ($700m), and Aston Villa, valued at £480m ($600m). 

By contrast, 20 MLS sides are represented in the top 50, with five in the top 20 itself, but their total worth is a relatively paltry £12.08bn ($15.1bn). 

Both Bayern Munich (£3.84bn - or $4.8bn) and Paris Saint-Germain, worth £3.24bn ($4.05bn) are worth more than the remaining three English clubs in the top ten. 

Arsenal ranks highest of these, sitting eighth with a worth of £3.13bn ($3.91bn), with the Gunners closely followed by north London rivals Tottenham and its worth of £2.79bn ($3.4bn). 

Chelsea - who were purchased in May 2022 in a £4.24bn deal including £2bn pledged towards the building of a new stadium - round out the top 10 with an estimated valuation of £2.72bn ($3.47bn). 

Last season's Treble winners made the top ten as the third-most valuable English team

Chelsea took 10th place behind Premier League rivals Liverpool, Arsenal, and Tottenham 

Los Angeles FC was named the most valuable MLS side, worth an estimated £921million

But after the staggering sums assigned to clubs at the very top of the rankings, the drop-off between 10th and 11th can seem quite severe. 

Juventus, the highest-valued Serie A side, is worth a comparatively paltry £1.41bn ($1.77bn), almost half of the west London side just one place above them. 

Behind the Premier League, Serie A is the second-best represented European league in the top 50, with six clubs making the grade. 

The Bundesliga has the third-highest number of clubs included with four, compared to LaLiga's three clubs and Ligue 1's two, with Lyon's estimated worth of £624million ($780m) the only one to come close to being in the same league as PSG's financial muscle. 

Of the MLS sides represented in the standings, the most valuable, Los Angeles FC is a comparative upstart, having been founded in 2014 - but with a value of £921m ($1.15bn) which dwarfs their more established rivals LA Galaxy, whose worth of £795m ($1bn) sees them sit 19th in the standings. 

Not that longevity is a necessary marker of success in North American football, as Inter Miami will understand all too well. 

The recently founded club's shrewd recruitment of global superstar Lionel Messi and a raft of his former Barcelona team-mates including Sergio Busquets and Luis Suarez puts the club's value at a cool £817m ($1.02bn), and 18th in the standings. 

But European football has little to fear from the MLS, with a comprehensive 26 clubs in the top 50 stemming from UEFA leagues, including the Eredivisie, and Portugal's Primeira Liga. 

Inter Miami's investment in Lionel Messi (right) and former Barca team-mates such as Luis Suarez (right) has paid off

Brazilian side Flamengo is the only South American team to feature in the top 50 clubs

The only leagues beyond Europe and the US represented are Mexico's Liga MX - America, Guadalajara, and Monterrey, and Brazil's Serie A, whose sole representative is Rio de Janeiro side Flamengo. 

Sportico have compiled their rankings by looking at the club's three revenue streams: broadcasting, commercial - including sponsorships, and matchday, as well as citing 'team-specific multipliers' such as the strength of the brand, team performance, and the club's debt.