2013 Forbes' Football Clubs list: Real Madrid overtake Manchester United

Spanish giants Real Madrid have moved to the top of the Forbes magazines rich list of the Most Valuable Football Clubs in the world ahead of Manchester United, who have been top of this ranking since it was first released in 2004.

Real Madrid is now valued at US$ 3.3 Billion ahead of Manchester United second in valuation at US$ 3.165 Billion and Barcelona at US$ 2.6 Billion. The top five is completed by FC Arsenal and FC Bayern Munich, who both are the two other clubs valued at over a Billion US$.

Forbes determined its valuations by combining its own review of financial documents and interviews with sports bankers along with Deloitte LLP's annual 'Football Money League' report, which in February 2013 ranked Real Madrid as the richest club by sales/turnover ahead of FC Barcelona and Manchester United.


2013 Forbes' list of the Most Valuable Football Clubs

1. Real Madrid - 3,300 Million USD
1. Manchester United - 3,165 Million USD
3. FC Barcelona - 2,600 Million USD
4. FC Arsenal London - 1,326 Million USD
5. FC Bayern Munich - 1,309 Million USD
6. AC Milan - 945 Million USD
7. Chelsea FC - 901 Million USD
8. Juventus Torino - 694 Million USD
9. Manchester City - 689 Million USD
10. Liverpool FC - 651 Million USD
11. Tottenham Hotspurs - 520 Million USD
12. FC Schalke 04 - 498 Million USD
13. Borussia Dortmund - 456 Million USD
12. Internazionale Milan - 401 Million USD
15. Olympique Lyonnais - 368 Million USD
16. Corinthians Paulista - 358 Million USD
17. SSC Napoli - 330 Million USD
18. Hamburger SV - 300 Million USD
19. Olympique Marseille - 285 Million USD
20. Newcastle United - 263 Million USD

2012/13 UEFA Champions League: It's Germany vs Spain in the semifinals

The draw for the 2012/13 UEFA Champions League semifinals was held today in Nyon, Switzerland. The last round ahead of the final to be played on May 25, 2013 at the Wembley Stadium in London will see match-ups between German Bundesliga and Spanish La Liga sides - Bayern Munich vs FC Barcelona and Borussia Dortmund vs Real Madrid.

Many feared that there would be a German and a Spanish semifinal, but today's draw kept the local rivals apart though there now could be a German or Spanish final at Wembley. The matches will be played on April 23/24 and April 30/May 1.

Bayern Munich chairman Karl-Heinz Rummenigge said, "I think we will see two very good games, played at the highest possible level."

"Barcelona are the benchmark for me in Europe. They are the best team in Europe at the moment, with fantastic attacking potential," Rummenigge added.

Meanwhile Borussia Dortmund general manager Hans-Joachim Watzke said, "I don't think Madrid will be afraid because of what happened in the group stage. They will respect us, just like we respect them."

Real Madrid ambassador Emilio Butragueno also thinks similar, "We have a lot of respect for Borussia Dortmund. We played them twice (in the group stage) but didn't manage to beat them. This time we hope it will different as we want to be in the final."

Draws out for UEFA Champions League 2012/13 Group Stage

The draw for the 2012/13 UEFA Champions League group stage was carried out today at the Grimaldi Forum in Monte Carlo, Monaco. And all the 32 participating clubs aim to reach the final to be played on May 2013 at Wembley Stadium in London.

The strongest of all groups is Group D containing four national champions - Real Madrid CF (Spain), Manchester City FC (England), AFC Ajax Amsterdam (Netherlands), Borussia Dortmund (Germany)

Defending champions FC Chelsea have been drawn in a weaker Group E then along with Italian champions Juventus they should move into the knockout stage past Ukrainians FC Shakhtar Donetsk and newcomers FC Nordjaelland from Denmark.

Last season finalists FC Bayern München after having had the Group of Death last term, this time around got an easier Group F in which they face Valencia CF (Spain), LOSC Lille Métropole (France) and FC BATE Borisov (Belarus).


The Groups

Group A: FC Porto (Portugal), Dinamo Kyiv (Ukraine), FC Paris Saint-Germain (France), GNK Dinamo Zagreb (Croatia)

Group B: Arsenal FC (England), FC Schalke 04 (Germany), Olympiacos Piräus FC (Greece), HSC Montpellier (France)

Group C: AC Milan (Italy), FC Zenit St. Petersburg (Russia), RSC Anderlecht (Belgium), FC Malaga (Spain)

Group D: Real Madrid CF (Spain), Manchester City FC (England), AFC Ajax Amsterdam (Netherlands), Borussia Dortmund (Germany)

Group E: Chelsea FC (England), FC Shakhtar Donetsk (Ukraine), Juventus Torino (Italy), FC Nordjaelland (Denmark)

Group F: FC Bayern München (Germany), Valencia CF (Spain), LOSC Lille Métropole (France), FC BATE Borisov (Belarus)

Group G: FC Barcelona (Spain), SL Benfica (Portugal), Spartak Moskva (Russia), Celtic Glasgow (Scotland)

Group H: Manchester United FC (England), Sporting Braga (Portugal), Galatasaray Istanbul (Turkey), CFR Cluj (Romania)

VIDEO: Sami Khedira scores goal with his Face!

German international Sami Khedira scored a rare goal with his face in a friendly in Las Vegas against Mexican side Santos Laguna, whose goalkeeper deflected the ball into the face of Khedira with the ball going in.

Raul set to join Qatari side Al-Sadd

Former Spanish international striker Raúl González Blanco, better known as Raul, has signed a one year contract with Qatari side Al-Sadd SC, the champions of the 2011 AFC Champions League in Asia. Raul has left Bundesliga side FC Schalke 04 after two seasons in the German top tier.

The Qatar Football Association said on Sunday that the Doha-based club had signed the 34-year-old former Real Madrid and Spain captain on a one-year deal, but further details were released.

Schalke 04 had made an offer to Raul to extend his contract, but the striker had decided to leave Europe and play in a developing league with Qatar always seen as his preference also due to the salary which he would receive in the Middle East.

Raul was a fan favourite at Schalke, scoring 27 goals in 63 Bundesliga matches. When Raul announced he would leave German Bundesliga side FC Schalke 04 it was an emotional affair after two years at the Ruhr valley club ( Raul to leave Schalke at end of season ).

Champions League: Spanish Armada sunk

Very few would have considered a FC Bayern Munich vs Chelsea FC final in the 2012 UEFA Champions League at Munich's Allianz Arena on May 19 becoming a reality then many thought FC Barcelona had already qualified after it became clear that they would face Chelsea FC in the semifinals while their Spanish archrivals Real Madrid having the tougher assignment against FC Bayern Munich but also expected to go through. But it came differently then planned and envisaged which is the beauty of football, unpredictability.

While Chelsea winning 3-2 on aggregate against the defending champions FC Barcelona, considered as one of the best club sides of all times, was a massive upset; Bayern Munich winning 3-1 on penalties against Real Madrid after 210 minutes of intense football with 2-1 wins for both sides at home was a very close one to call.

Tuesday and Wednesday evenings once more showed the beauty of football that anything is possible even in the most adverse circumstances. In both matches the Spanish home teams had gone ahead 2-0 and would have reached the finals with that result at the end of 90 minutes, but their English and German opponents came back into the match and then even went on to move into the finals.

Now one can look forward to an hopefully interesting and exciting UEFA Champions League final on Saturday, May 19 in Munich which surely will be an advantage to Bayern Munich, who play at home.

This was what I thought before the return-legs on Tuesday and Wednesday with a hint at what could happen: Champions League: Spanish giants face elimination .

Champions League: Spanish giants face elimination

In the next couple of days the return-leg of the two UEFA Champions League semifinals between FC Barcelona vs Chelsea FC (Tuesday) and Real Madrid vs FC Bayern Munich (Wednesday) will decide on which two sides will play the finals on May 19 at the Allianz Arena in Munich.

Last week Chelsea FC upset defending champions FC Barcelona at home at Stamford Bridge through a Didier Drogba strike. But it was one of the few Chelsea attacks that evening then Barca was the better side but the woodwork, great goalkeeping from Petr Cech and resolute defending denied the Catalans a goal. Interestingly Barca have a bad piece of stats against the Blues and history might repeat itself though Barca surely are capable of scoring two or more goals against Chelsea.

But the Londoners will come to the Nou Camp today with an aim to once more defend as resolutely as possible and then ideal score a goal or two which would mean Barca would have to win by a two goal margin to continue to have the chance to defend their title.

Meanwhile tomorrow Real Madrid will try and turn around a 1-2 deficit against German giants Bayern Munich at their Santiago Bernabeu. There is no doubt that Bayern Munich were the better side last Tuesday at the Allianz Arena and could maybe should have won by a bigger margin. The Bavarians showed that their aim of the 'Finale Dahoam' (the final at home) was alive and put the Spaniards under massive pressure for most of the match.

Real Madrid have the advantage of having scored a vital away goal through German Mesut Özil, but Bayern Munich of having scored the winner a minute from time. Another such performance would be needed to beat Real Madrid and make the dream of a home final a reality.

If the matches had been over after just the 90+ minutes from the first-leg then both the Spanish sides would be out of the competition. And interestingly against these opponents both sides have failed in the semifinals. Especially Real Madrid's stats are bad then thrice they faced Bayern Munich in the semis and on all three occasions (1976, 1987, 2001) the Bavarians prevailed.

Manchester United top 2012 Forbes' Football Clubs list

Manchester United has topped for the eight year in a row the Forbes magazines rich list of the Most Valuable Football Clubs in the world ahead of Spanish giants Real Madrid and FC Barcelona.

Manchester is now valued at US$ 2.235 Billion, a 20% increase from last year with Real Madrid second at a valuation of US$ 1.877 Billion and Barcelona at US$ 1.307 Billion. The top five is completed by FC Arsenal and FC Bayern Munich, who both are the two other clubs valued at over a Billion US$.

Forbes determined its valuations by combining its own review of financial documents and interviews with sports bankers along with Deloitte LLP's annual 'Football Money League' report, which in February 2012 ranked Real Madrid as the richest club by sales/turnover ahead of FC Barcelona and Manchester United.

Manchester United's massive value not of comes from its on-field success but also their 330 million fans around the world, which makes them the most valuable sports team in the world.


2012 Forbes' list of the Most Valuable Football Clubs

1. Manchester United - 2,235 Million USD
2. Real Madrid - 1,877 Million USD
3. FC Barcelona - 1,307 Million USD
4. FC Arsenal London - 1,292 Million USD
5. FC Bayern Munich - 1,235 Million USD
6. AC Milan - 989 Million USD
7. Chelsea FC - 761 Million USD
8. Liverpool FC - 619 Million USD
9. Juventus Torino - 591 Million USD
10. FC Schalke 04 - 587 Million USD
11. Tottenham Hotspurs - 564 Million USD
12. Internazionale Milan - 490 Million USD
13. Manchester City - 443 Million USD
14. Borussia Dortmund - 394 Million USD
15. Olympique Lyonnais - 385 Million USD
16. Hamburger SV - 355 Million USD
17. AS Roma - 354 Million USD
18. Olympique Marseille - 349 Million USD
19. FC Valencia - 288 Million USD
20. SSC Napoli - 283 Million USD

Bayern Munich vs Real Madrid tonight

FC Bayern Munich host Real Madrid in the first semifinal of the UEFA Champions League at the Allianz Arena tonight. A high voltage clash is expected as both sides hope to reach the finals, but especially the Bavarians want to win then the final this season will be at their own Allianz Arena in Munich.

Two star-studded sides will meet each other who are coached by two experienced coaches. The seasoned Jupp Heynckes at Bayern Munich is a former Real Madrid coach, who won the Champions League in 1998 with the Los Blancos; while Real Madrid are coached by 'The Special One' Jose Mourinho.

But both sides have defences which could be better and there both coaches see their chances. On the other side both have attacking units which are amongst the best in the business with Bayern Munich having players like Franck Ribery, Arjen Robben, Mario Gomez upfront; while Real Madrid can bank on Cristiano Ronaldo, Mesut Özil, Gonzalo Higuain, Kaka and even more.

The track record in European club competitions between these two sides speaks for Bayern Munich. The clubs have met 18 times of which Bayern Munich has won 10 matches, Real Madrid has 6 wins to their name and two matches ended in a draw. The two teams have met thrice in the semifinals of the old European Champion Clubs' Cup/European Cup and on all three occasions - 1976, 1987, 2001 - FCB won and moved into the finals.

The match will kick-off at 20.45 CET (00.15 IST) tonight.

Jose Mourinho: No Bundesliga for me

Yesterday the pre-match press conference for the FC Bayern Munich vs Real Madrid match in the UEFA Champions League was held at the Allianz Arena. There were some interesting questions and answers regarding the match for both coaches.

The most interesting answer came when Real Madrid coach Jose Mourinho was asked if he would like to coach in the German Bundesliga. Mourinho simply, "I say no." And then showed why he gave such an answer by pointing to his headset which he needed to answer questions from the German colleagues.

"Where I need them (headset for translation), I cannot work," Mourinho then added.

Since leaving FC Porto and his home country Portugal in 2004 Mourinho has worked at Chelsea FC (England), Internazionale Milan (Italy) and now Real Madrid (Spain). It is known that Mourinho prepared himself for his foreign assignments before joining the clubs and the success speaks for him.

Mourinho ended by saying, "I don't speak German. Due to the limitation in my communication it is close to impossible to work here."

A clever Jose Mourinho didn't say impossible, but close to impossible which leaves it open that he could maybe one day coach in the Bundesliga, then he is watching more and more of the German league.

VIDEO: Real Madrid Resort Island

Spanish giants Real Madrid are doing a first for a football club. The Los Blancos have partnered the United Arab Emirate 'Ras Al Khaimah' to build the Real Madrid Resort Island on a 1 Billion US-Dollar theme park on a man-made island. The Real Madrid Resort Island will contain 60 luxury bungalows, a 450-room Five-Star hotel, a Marina with a yacht club and a RM Theme Park.

Here the impressive video of the RM resort island set to be opened in January 2015

VIDEO: Incredible back-heel by Cristiano Ronaldo

It was Cristiano Ronaldo's 29th goal of the season for Real Madrid, but most probably the best strike of the season by the Portuguese! An incredible back-heel by CR7 within the box only a few yards away from the goal after a Mesut Özil corner, which left the Rayo Vallecano defenders baffled.

Deloitte Football Money League: Real Madrid top once more!

The Deloitte Football Money League 2010/11 has been released with Spanish giants Real Madrid topping the league table of the world's 20 highest earning football clubs for the seventh straight year, according to auditing firm Deloitte.

For the first time the combined revenues of the 20 biggest football clubs in the world has crossed the 4 billion Euros mark and now stands at 4,3 billion Euros an increase of 8,3 percent with all these clubs coming out of Europe. England remains the most represented with six out of the top 20 clubs from the Premier League, five from Italy, four from Germany, three from Spain plus two from France.

Once more Spain's big two are the highest revenue earners in world football. Though playing second fiddle to FC Barcelona in the Spanish league and on the European stage Real Madrid have been able to increase their revenues by 40.9 million Euros from the previous season to now an impressive 479,5 million Euros with Barca 28,8 million Euros behind. But the Catalans could once more close the gap over their archrivals.

German Bundesliga side FC Schalke 04 are the biggest movers as they move from 16th place into the Top 10 for the first time due to their UEFA Champions League semifinal appearance and winning the German Cup as their budget rose from 139,8 to 202,4 million Euros.

Atlético de Madrid, VfB Stuttgart and Aston Villa dropped out of the Top 20; while Borussia Dortmund, FC Valencia and SSC Napoli entered this elite group of football clubs.


Deloitte Football Money League - 2009/2010 Top 20

01. (01) Real Madrid 479,5 million Euros
02. (02) FC Barcelona 450,7 million Euros
03. (03) Manchester United 367,0 million Euros
04. (04) FC Bayern Munich 321,4 million Euros
05. (05) FC Arsenal London 251,1 million Euros
06. (06) FC Chelsea London 249,8 million Euros
07. (07) AC Milan 235,1 million Euros
08. (09) Inter Milan 211,4 million Euros
09. (08) FC Liverpool 203,3 million Euros
10. (16) FC Schalke 04 202,4 million Euros
11. (12) Tottenham Hotspurs 181,0 million Euros
12. (11) Manchester City 169,6 million Euros
13. (10) Juventus Torino 153,9 million Euros
14. (15) Olympique Marseille 150,4 million Euros
15. (18) AS Roma 143,5 million Euros
16. (--) Borussia Dortmund 138,5 million Euros
17. (14) Olympique Lyonnais 132,8 million Euros
18. (13) Hamburger SV 128,8 million Euros
19. (--) FC Valencia 116,8 million Euros
20. (--) SSC Napoli 114,9 million Euros

Mourinho eyes an EPL return

The 'Special One' as Portuguese coach Jose Mourinho likes to be called is eyeing a return to the English Premier League. But the current coach of Spanish giants Real Madrid is not eyeing an imminent return to the EPL, but Mourinho rather wants his next assignment to be with an EPL club. The if and when Mourinho hasn't put a date to it then his contract with Real Madrid runs until summer 2014.

It is an open secret that Jose Mourinho is a big fan of English club football after he coached FC Chelsea there from 2004 to 2007. He won the EPL title twice along with the FA Cup and League Cup before being fired by the west-London club. Something which Chelsea has not overcome as managers have come and gone over the last few years since Mourinho's forced departure.

Surely Mourinho is not an easy character, many do not like him, but he is a man who does everything for success without looking back. Be it as a translator for Bobby Robson at FC Barcelona, then at Union Leiria, FC Porto, FC Chelsea, Inter Milan and now Real Madrid as head coach. He was successful in his work everywhere.

Mourinho has said a few times that he did not want to lose out on the chance to coach at Real Madrid in 2010 after winning the UEFA Champions League with Inter Milan, but his heart lies with England football and there he would like to return one day.

One of the possibilities is that Mourinho replaces Sir Alex Ferguson once he does retire at Manchester United. This is a rumour which has been making rounds for years, while Chelsea could look at him as a possible replacement if his former assistant Andres Villas-Boas fails at the Blues. Though the question of the equation between owner Roman Abramovich and Mourinho could decide any such move.

VIDEO: See the real José Mourinho

Saw this interesting video series from German consumer product maker Braun. In this episode it is about Portuguese coach José Mourinho of Real Madrid. I found the video about 'the Special One' interesting, I hope you all like it!


Here a link to the video

Mesut Oezil: Real Madrid's new No. 10

I will be very honest. Last summer when German internationals Mesut Oezil and Sami Khedira left the Bundesliga to join Spanish giants Real Madrid I didn't believe that they would directly be able to make an impact with the Los Blancos under the new high profile manager Jose Mourinho. They have both positively surprised me.

Especially Oezil has grown unbelievably in stature over the last season. A year back I had my doubts if the move to Real Madrid is the right one at such a young age. I had written a blog entry under the title
Can Oezil make it at Real Madrid? at the time.

After year one I can say, he has not only made it, he's on the way to become one of the best players in the world. Now Oezil has the honour of wearing the legendary number 10 at Real Madrid.

Defensive midfielder Lassana Diarra was a misfit in such an iconic number which at Real Madrid has been worn by players like Ferenc Puskás (Hungary), Günter Netzer (West Germany), Michael Laudrup (Denmark), Clarence Seedorf (Netherlands), Figo (Portugal), Robinho (Brazil) and Wesley Sneijder (Netherlands).

Oezil moves from the No. 23 jersey which he wore in season one, a number which has been worn by David Beckham and too by Wesley Sneijder in his first season at the club, so good company.

Dortmund's Sahin leaves for Real Madrid

New Bundesliga champions Borussia Dortmund called for a press conference along with Nuri Sahin yesterday and one of German footballs worst kept secrets became public. The German-born Turkish international Sahin is leaving the west German club to join Spanish giants Real Madrid for a fee of 10 Million Euros.

The Luedenscheid born son of Turkish immigrants started playing football at local club RSV Meinerzhagen before joining Borussia Dortmund in 2001. He was the youngest ever Bundesliga player in August 2005 at the age of 16 years and 335 days, but thereafter it wasn't always easy as Sahin was send on loan to Feyenoord Rotterdam in the 2007/08 season.

But this last season under influential coach Juergen Klopp Sahin grew to be one of the most influential players in the champion side, marshalling the midfield which drew attention from Europe's top clubs. Sahin is leaving before the end of his contract in 2013 due to a clause which allows him to leave for a certain fee. And for the 22 year old the transfer to Real Madrid is a dream move.

At the press conference Sahin said, "I am very proud of this step. The decision was hard to take. I am Borussia and will remain Borussia. I will miss Dortmund."

"I will miss the Bundesliga and my home country and I would like to thank everybody who has helped me along my way," he added.

"Saying goodbye to my team-mates was very, very difficult. They are all so close to my heart and it was a very emotional goodbye. Everybody did everything for each other in this team and this is a fantastic team which has won a fantastic title."

As a mark of thanks Sahin has invited his soon former team mates to visit him and his new team Real Madrid for the next El Clasico against FC Barcelona.

Real Madrid said on their website about Sahin that he "has a knack for distributing the ball as well as recovering it. With a powerful left foot and an eye for ball placement, he is also a master at free-kicks."

It will be interesting to see if Sahin can adopt to live in Madrid. The same scepticism was there when Mesut Oezil left the Bundesliga to join the Spaniards, but it has been a big successful story so far.

Too much El Clásico??? The lessons...

The series of four El Clásico matches between Real Madrid and FC Barcelona ended yesterday evening and to me at the end a lot around the games had nothing to do with football, but rather problems between these two giants of world football and their internal Spanish feud between the capital Madrid and the region of Catalunya.

Looking back at the results. The first match was on April 16 in the Spanish league which ended with a one-all draw with Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo both scoring from the spot and Barca keeing their eight point lead. The teams then met only four days later in the final of the Copa del Rey (Spanish Cup) in Valencia which was decided by a Cristiano Ronaldo in extra-time in favour of Real Madrid.

Then came the two meetings in the UEFA Champions League with especially the first match a nasty affair with two red cards and the expulsion of coach Jose Mourinho though referee Wolfgang Stark did a good job. In the end it was nearly forgotten that Barca won the match 2-0 away in Madrid through two goals from Messi, which gave them a major advantage of the return-leg.

But between these two matches Champions League matches especially Real Madrid was active in trying to portrait their rivals as unfair sportsmen, which didn't find an ear with UEFA and the fourth and final El Clásico went off rather smoothly ending in a one-all draw. First a Pedro goal for Barca which sealed the tie for them and a consolation equaliser for Real Madrid from Marcelo.

The series ended - with a win each and two draws. Both clubs couldn't win a triple, but it is worrying to me to see the way officials, players and fans have behaved over the last few weeks. Often it seemed is if it wasn't about the football, but rather open hate and aggression. Both sides have been acusing each other of things and maybe now after the end of the four match series UEFA and the Spanish Football Association should have a word with the clubs and request them to tone down next time around or otherwise hit out with tough sanctions, if that is the only way all will learn.

Then in the end it is about the beautiful game, something which seems to be getting lost...

VIDEO: Messi's goals from last night

The FC Barcelona take a 2-0 advantage home after the second UEFA Champions League semifinal against archrivals Real Madrid. Two quality goals from little Argentinian Lionel Messi sealed the game and maybe even the time for the Catalans.


Here a video of both the goals

VIDEO: Sergio Ramos damages Copa del Rey

Real Madrid last night won the Spanish Kings Cup (Copa del Rey) against archrivals FC Barcelona 1-0 in extra-time through a Cristiano Ronaldo goal. Their first Copa del Rey in 18 years.

And close to 50,000 Real fans turned up at 04.00 CET at the Plaza de Cibeles (the Cibeles fountain) to greet the team. And on an open doubledecker bus the accident. Spanish defender Sergio Ramos is showing off the cup to the fans, but suddenly he drops it and it falls under the wheel of the bus where it gets crushed.

The Copa del Rey, which weighs 15 kgs, is said to have been broken into 10 pieces or maybe even more. It is can be put together or has to be replaced by a new cup will have to be seen.

Here footage from the celebration & the fall of the cup