Barcelona leapfrog Real Madrid as world's most valuable club

Real Madrid toppled rivals Barcelona 2-1 on Saturday and are just one point behind La Liga leaders Atletico Madrid in the title race. 

According to business magazine Forbes, however, Barcelona jumped ahead of Real Madrid and are now the world's most valuable football club for the first time.

As clubs and other sports entities continue to experience financial losses caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, Barcelona are valued at $4.76 billion, slightly ahead of No. 2 and 2019-20 La Liga champions Real Madrid at $4.75 billion. Reigning UEFA Champions League winners Bayern Munich are third at $4.215 billion. 

The English Premier League, often regarded as the most popular competition on the planet, dominates the next five spots: Manchester United ($4.2 billion), Liverpool ($4.1 billion), uncrowned 2020-21 champions Manchester City ($4 billion), Chelsea ($3.2 billion) and Arsenal ($2.8) billion) all sit ahead of French giants Paris Saint-Germain ($2.5 billion). 

Tottenham Hotspur round out the top 10 at $2.3 billion. 

"Average revenue for the 20 teams was $441 million for the 2019-20 season, down 9.6% from 2017-18, while average operating income fell by 70% over the period to $23 million," Forbes' assistant managing editor Mike Ozanian explained for the piece. 

To compare, NFL revenue reportedly dropped from $16 billion in 2019 to $12 billion in 2020 as franchises were unable to fully fill stadiums due to COVID-19 concerns and restrictions.