No. 10: Schalke 04
Domestic league: German Bundesliga
Owner/majority shareholder: Veltins brewery
Current value: $510 million
A new German TV deal is boosting revenue. So is selling out Veltins Arena (the brewer is parent and naming-rights sponsor). The team is locked up with Gazprom on a shirt sponsorship deal that will reportedly pay as much as $180 million over five years. Quarterfinalists in Champions League in '08, Schalke 04 was out early in '09.
No. 9: Juventus
Domestic league: Italian Serie A
Owner/majority shareholder: Agnelli family
Current value: $600 million
Juventus was promoted back to Serie A last year following scandal and demotion. Eligible for Champions league this year, the team is building a new, mid-sized stadium; the naming rights are already sold.
No. 8: Chelsea
Domestic league: English Premiership
Owner/majority shareholder: Roman Abramovich
Current value: $800 million
Although the team was a runner-up both in Premiership and Champions leagues, home attendance at London's Stamford Bridge was down. More than $700 million in debt, team head Peter Kenyon's plan to turn profit will have to wait.
No. 7: Barcelona
Domestic league: Spanish Primera Liga
Owner/majority shareholder: club members
Current value: $960 million
The Champions league semifinalist is investing in Major League Soccer team in Miami to grow U.S. presence and investing $400 million to redevelop its old stadium.
No. 6: AC Milan
Domestic league: Italian Serie A
Owner/majority shareholder: Silvio Berlusconi
Current value: $990 million
The team shared a stadium with Inter Milan, and it will miss the '09 Champions league after a subpar 2008, despite borrowing David Beckham from Los Angeles Galaxy. Revenues are up on first year of new TV deal with Berlusconi's Mediaset
No. 5: Liverpool
Domestic league: English Premiership
Owner/majority shareholder: George Gillett/Thomas Hicks
Current value: $1.01 billion
The credit crunch forced owners to halt plans for new stadium last year. Hicks and Gillett have roughly three months to repay or refinance $600 million in debt with RBS/Wachovia. Owners could be forced to sell just one year after making the semifinals of the Champions league.
No. 4: Bayern Munich
Domestic league: German Bundesliga
Owner/majority shareholder: club members
Current value: $1.11 billion
The team missed the Champions league but made it to semifinals of Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) Cup. Bayern Munich has a debt-free balance sheet, and last year it bought a 50% stake in its stadium that it did not own, which will increase their revenue this season.
No. 3: Arsenal
Domestic league: English Premiership
Owner/majority shareholder: Alisher Usmanov
Current value: $1.2 billion
London club sold out new Emirates Stadium in its second year, despite increased ticket prices, and finished third in English Premier League (EPL). Naming rights pay an average of $18 million a year through 2021, which should help pay stadium debt. There are 50,000 fans on the waiting list for season tickets.
No. 2: Real Madrid
Domestic league: Spanish Primera Liga
Owner/majority shareholder: club members
Current value: $1.353 billion
Despite the loss of their jersey sponsor BenQ Mobile, these Spanish champs are in the second year of a $1.4 billion, seven-year TV deal. And recent stadium improvements mean more luxury suites and hospitality revenue this season
No. 1: Manchester United
Domestic league: English Premiership
Owner/majority shareholder: Glazer family
Current value: $1.87 billion
These European champs benefit from the first year of new Premiership TV deal. Owners could sell naming rights for the team's Old Trafford stadium to reduce their $1 billion debt.
