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Forbes names top 10 sports team brands, Man United sixth

Manchester United FC v VfL Wolfsburg - UEFA Champions League

MANCHESTER, ENGLAND - SEPTEMBER 30: Louis van Gaal manager of Manchester United celebrates victory with winning goalscorer Chris Smalling in the UEFA Champions League Group B match between Manchester United FC and VfL Wolfsburg at Old Trafford on September 30, 2015 in Manchester, United Kingdom. (Photo by Dean Mouhtaropoulos/Getty Images)

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Forbes’ extensive list of finances in sports always causes quite a stir, and this year is no different.

The outlet has named its top 10 “most valuable team brands in sports” and Premier League side Manchester United comes in at sixth place along with a whole host of NFL, MLB and NBA franchises.

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This is how Forbes figures it all out:

“Team brand values are derived from calculating the portion of team’s enterprise value that is not attributable to the size or demographics of its market, or league-shared revenue.”

So, there you have it.

As you can see from the list below, four soccer teams make it into the top 10 as Real Madrid lead the way with United, Barcelona and Bayern Munich bunched closely behind them.

Despite United’s relative lack of success in recent years, their brand continues to remain among one of the most recognizable on the planet as their commercial growth -- United recorded record revenues during the 2014-15 season -- also continues at a staggering rate.

Here is the full list of the world’s top 10 most valuable team brands:


  1. New York Yankees - $661 million
  2. LA Lakers - $521 million
  3. Dallas Cowboys - $497 million
  4. New England Patriots - $465 million
  5. Real Madrid - $464 million
  6. Manchester United - $446 million
  7. Barcelona - $437 million
  8. Bayern Munich - $375 million
  9. LA Dodgers - $373 million
  10. New York Knicks - $361 million

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