Manchester City and Manchester United feature in the top 10 clubs in world football based on player cost, according to a recent study.
CIES Football Observatory have ranked, in order, the 100 most expensive clubs on the globe by combining the value of their players under contract (including those out on loan).
“The estimates were calculated on the basis of a statistical model developed exclusively by the CIES Football Observatory, using a methodology explained in this peer-reviewed paper recently published in the International Journal of Financial Studies,” CEIS explain, with the findings making for interesting reading.
Of the top 100, 22 are from England, including Championship sides Leeds United and Burnley, who rank above Ipswich Town. Meanwhile, of the top 10 sides according to the model, six are from the Premier League, with three of the four clubs valued over £1bn coming from England.
The study does factor in the number of players owned, which of course impacts a club’s value. With 27 players, no side listed have fewer than Bayer Leverkusen, although the German champions still squeeze into the top 10 values. In contrast, Chelsea have exactly double, with 54 players registered.
Only 20 clubs have a combined price of above £500m (eight from the Premier League, four from the Bundesliga, four from Serie A, three from La Liga and one from Ligue 1). Of the top 20, interestingly only two (United and Napoli) are not playing in this season’s Champions League.
Below, we’ve ranked the 20 most expensive clubs based on their combined player cost…
“The estimates were calculated on the basis of a statistical model developed exclusively by the CIES Football Observatory, using a methodology explained in this peer-reviewed paper recently published in the International Journal of Financial Studies,” CEIS explain, with the findings making for interesting reading.
17. Arsenal - £1025m (4th)
18. Chelsea - £1161m (3rd)
19. Manchester City - £1231m (2nd)
