Soccer dribbles past recession; clubs getting richer: Forbes

The economic gloom across the globe seems to have spared the game of soccer with the world's top 25 clubs getting richer over the past year by an average of eight per cent, according to the US magazine Forbes.

According to the latest edition of Forbes' annual list of the world's most valuable soccer teams, the top 25 teams are now worth on average 597 million dollars, which is 8 per cent more than previous year.

England's Manchester United, whose star players include Wayne Rooney and Cristiano Ronaldo, has been ranked at the top with a valuation of 1.87 billion dollars.

ManU is followed by Spanish heavyweight Real Madrid, worth 1.35 billion dollars in the Forbes list. The team has continued to shine on the pitch despite the departure of superstars David Beckham, Zinedine Zidane and Ronaldo during the past two years, the publication noted.

There are a total of five clubs-- Manchester United, Real Madrid, Arsenal, Bayern Munich and Liverpool worth at least one billion dollars.

"One reason most top clubs have continued to see revenue increases and post strong profits is that they have lucrative multi-year broadcasting and sponsorship deals that have not been affected by the recession," Forbes said.

The report further noted that "these clubs posted operating income of USD 42 million during the 2007-2008 season, 20 per cent more than the top 25 clubs earned the previous year."

Besides, the sport's growing popularity throughout China and the Southeast Asia, among other factors, has led to big-ticket investors continuing to "pour money into England's Premier league."

The top 25 clubs include nine from England, six from Germany, four from Italy and two each from Spain, Scotland and France.