As the popularity of the World Cup suggested, futból is worth more than football. Or Major League Baseball or the NBA.
Forbes came out with its annual list of the 50 most valuable sports teams, and three soccer teams led the way - none, obviously, from the United States.
Spain's Real Madrid, the Champions League titlist that lays claim to arguably the best soccer player in the world in Cristiano Ronaldo, has the highest value among all sports team worldwide with an estimated value of $3.44 billion.
The team generated more revenue than any other team in the world, Forbes reported, taking in $675 million for the 2012-13 season.
Barcelona, whose players include Lionel Messi, Neymar and recently acquired biter Luis Suarez, is second in total value at $3.2 billion. The team told Forbes earlier this year that the Nike store on its venue, Nou Camp Stadium, had the highest sales of any Nike store in the world.
Manchester United, which is coming off a subpar season, is third at $2.81 billion. Adidas recently signed a 10-year, $1.3 billion kit deal with the club.
The New York Yankees are No. 4 on the list with a value of $2.5 billion, thanks to its Fox-driven television market. The Dallas Cowboys are fifth with a value of $2.3 billion. Thirty of the top 50 franchises are in the NFL - the Oakland Raiders and Jacksonville Jaguars are the only teams that did not make the Forbes list.
The top NBA team is the New York Knicks, No. 13 overall with a value of $1.4 billion. Even though the Los Angeles Clippers were sold for $2 billion, Forbes did not list them among the top 50 franchises. The No. 50 AC Milan soccer club has a value of $856 million.
The Toronto Maple Leafs were the top NHL franchise at No. 26 with a value of $1.15 billion.
Click here to see the Forbes list.
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