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Nine-time European champion Real Madrid have ended Manchester United's run as the world's most valuable soccer team, according to an annual survey released by Forbes on Wednesday.
The value of Real, a Spanish club owned by its thousands of members, surged 76 percent to $3.3 billion from a year ago, Forbes said in a statement. (www.forbes.com/soccer)Real's Spanish rivals Barcelona, England's Arsenal and German side Bayern Munich rounded out the top five.
Barca's value doubled over the past year, the biggest increase of any top 20 team, to $2.6 billion. Barcelona's revenue have increased 19% over the past three seasons, to $613 million in 2011-12.The top 20 soccer teams are worth an average of $968 million, an increase of 26 percent over last year, Forbes said.
Real Madrid ($3.3 bil.), Manchester United ($3.17 bil), and Barcelona ($2.6 bil.), now command the top three spots among all teams in the world, followed by the New York Yankees ($2.30 bil.) and Dallas Cowboys ($2.1 bil.).