The 50 most valuable squads in the world: Liverpool 3rd, Man Utd 7th…

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PSG's Lionel Messi and Neymar celebrate with Kylian Mbappe after scoring against Lorient at Parc des Princes, Paris, April 2022.

Michael Lee
26th April 2022

It’s no secret the best club sides have a galaxy of stars, with modern recruitment strategies allowing them to pick the most talented players from around the globe – but which squad is the most valuable in world football?

With the transfer market about to open, it would be no surprise if clubs in Europe’s top leagues spent over £1billion strengthening their squads for the 2022-23 season.

By far the largest portion of that spending will come from the Premier League. Widely accepted to be the richest league in world football, 17 of the 20 top-flight clubs in England feature in the top 50 most valuable squads worldwide (excluding Burnley, Watford and Norwich).

Naturally, a few of these inclusions will catch the eye. With Brighton above Marseille, Crystal Palace above Porto and Leeds above Lazio, it’s undeniable that even mid-table Premier League sides will have squads that eclipse some of Europe’s most famous names.

But it’s also a sign that the Premier League’s wealth is skewing the footballing landscape. Even sides like Lille and Benfica, that reached the knockout stages of the Champions League, are vulnerable to having their best players pinched by English vultures.

Elsewhere, it’s no surprise to see heavyweights such as Barcelona, Bayern Munich and Real Madrid take their customary place in the top 10 – but the fate of the Serie A clubs is more of an eye-opener.

Their highest-valued squad, Juventus, only comes in 12th and the likes of AC Milan and Napoli – both involved in the Serie A title race – rank behind Leicester City.

At the very top, the presence of Manchester City and PSG should shock nobody. Both are owned by obscenely wealthy states and have assembled squads that are the envy of teams across the world.

Liverpool’s third-placed position is a testament to the squad-building job that Jurgen Klopp’s done at Anfield, while Chelsea may see their squad valuation slide if the club’s current financial uncertainty continues.

Our list is dominated by the big European leagues, with only Ajax and Portugal’s big three providing variety – and there are no squads from outside Europe. You have to go down to 60th for our first non-European inclusion; Brazilian side Palmeiras.

Ultimately, this reflects the politics of world football where the most talented players eventually make their way to Europe. Nevertheless, it’s an intriguing list.

We’ve ranked the 50 most valuable squads in world football, according to their total valuation on Transfermarkt.

1. Manchester City – £863.4million

2. PSG – £813.1million

3. Liverpool – £810.5million

4. Chelsea – £766.8million

5. Bayern Munich – £724.1million

6. Real Madrid – £680.9million

7. Manchester United – £649.1million

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READ: 5 players set to leave Man Utd on a free this summer: Pogba, Lingard…

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8. Barcelona – £611.1million

9. Atletico Madrid – £594.5million

10. Tottenham – £528.5million

11. Borussia Dortmund – £504.2million

12. Juventus – £500.0million

13. Inter Milan – £476.0million

14. Arsenal – £468.9million

15. Leicester City – £463.3million

16. Napoli – £444.8million

17. AC Milan – £432.1million

18. RB Leipzig – £419.0million

19. Everton – £403.0million

20. Bayer Leverkusen – £391.0million

21. Aston Villa – £390.2million

22. Sevilla – £370.7million

23. Real Sociedad – £348.7million

24. Atalanta – £346.4million

25. Villarreal – £344.3million

26. Roma – £332.4million

27. Wolves – £316.8million

28. Monaco – £315.9million

29. West Ham – £313.9million

30. Ajax – £310.7million

A wonderful team goal from back to front from Ajax 😍

A dream evening in Lisbon as they won 5-1 on the road! 💥#UCL pic.twitter.com/CKhx9FSFVW

— Football on BT Sport (@btsportfootball) September 15, 2021