Forbes’ 2025 valuations underline a simple truth: global sports wealth remains concentrated outside soccer even as the game retains massive global support. Forbes estimates that 20 soccer clubs worldwide carry a value of at least $1 billion, yet when measured against the richest franchises across all sports, soccer clubs are part of the crowd rather than the clear leaders.

Forbes again places the NFL’s Dallas Cowboys top of the list at $13 billion, a figure that represents 29% growth from 2024. The Golden State Warriors ($11 billion), LA Rams ($10.5 billion), New York Giants ($10.1 billion) and LA Lakers ($10 billion) complete the five teams that reach 11-figure valuations in 2025.

Forbes calculates a team’s value as its “enterprise value (equity plus net debt) and include the economics of each team’s stadium but not the value of the stadium real estate itself.” That approach produces a list where the first soccer club appears at 20th overall: Real Madrid is valued at $6.75 billion. That remains an enormous valuation, even if it sits well below the very top of the overall rankings.

Manchester United, despite consistently documented on-field problems and substantial debt, stands at $6.6 billion and is tied for 24th place overall. Barcelona follows at $5.65 billion and 42nd overall. Liverpool creeps inside the global top 50, tied at 48th place with two North American franchises, and is valued at $5.4 billion.

Those four clubs are the only soccer representatives among the 50 most valuable sports teams in the world in 2025. The figures underline how the biggest soccer clubs operate on a huge commercial scale but also how other sports, notably the NFL and elite NBA franchises, continue to lead the global valuation table.

Rúben Neves’s declared intention to leave Al Hilal on a free transfer next summer has altered Manchester United’s mid-season thinking, according to a report. With the Saudi club reportedly exploring a January sale to recoup some cost, Neves has reappeared as a realistic and affordable midfield option for clubs in England.

Neves made 177 appearances for Wolves and spent five seasons in the Premier League, where he was widely regarded as one of the division’s top defensive midfielders. That Premier League pedigree has attracted interest from Manchester United and long-term admirers Newcastle United, while West Ham United are also named among suitors.

The report suggests a winter transfer could cost around £18 million and that fee might be lower given Neves’s intention to return to England by next summer. That level of outlay is notable for United as money is tight around Old Trafford and primary targets such as Nottingham Forest’s Elliot Anderson, Crystal Palace’s Adam Wharton and Brighton & Hove Albion’s Carlos Baleba are all expected to cost close to £100 million.

United have already been exploring alternatives. Atalanta’s Ederson and Conor Gallagher of Atlético Madrid are viewed internally as feasible targets, but Neves’s availability has now “forced his way into the club’s thinking.”

At club level, Amorim is described as desperate for a new midfielder to bolster his squad. He has lost trust in both Kobbie Mainoo and Manuel Ugarte to start games and is increasingly reliant on 33-year-old Casemiro, whose expensive contract also expires in the summer. The club’s January priority had been an opportunistic attempt to secure Bournemouth winger Antoine Semenyo, but Neves’s potential availability may prompt a tactical reassessment of that plan.

Any January move for Neves would hinge on negotiations with Al Hilal and the player’s clear preference to return to the Premier League next summer. For Manchester United, a low-cost, experienced defensive midfielder represents a timely alternative as the club balances ambition with financial constraints.

Roy Keane criticised Kobbie Mainoo’s older half-brother after the fan wore a T-shirt reading ‘Free Kobbie’ during Manchester United’s 4–4 draw with Bournemouth.

Mainoo has been used sparingly by Ruben Amorim this season and asked for a loan in the summer to aid his development. The academy graduate has started just one match, that appearance coming in the shock defeat to League Two Grimsby Town in the Carabao Cup second round. Reports suggest Mainoo’s frustrations prompted a further loan request ahead of the January transfer window, although the Red Devils are prepared to permit a departure only if an “exceptional offer” arrives, according to a new report.

Speaking on the Stick to Football podcast, Keane was blunt about the actions of Mainoo’s sibling and about the midfielder’s immediate future. “When he’s got his idiot brother doing all that stuff—we shouldn’t even be giving his brother the time of day,” said the former United captain. “Because sometimes you’re just surrounded by idiots, especially in families.

“You come in after the match, and your brother did that … if my brother [had] done that, you would be looking at him going, ‘what are you doing?’ You would, and do you know what—do you think his brother’s done that without asking him?”

Keane also urged Mainoo to remain at Old Trafford and work for a first-team place rather than seeking an immediate exit. “He’s 20 years of age, what’s wrong with sitting and learning your trade? And even if he’s not getting a chance, we’ve all had to do it,” added the Irishman. “Sometimes a manager is on your case and what you have to do is prove them wrong. Every day is your chance to prove yourself to the manager. He’s got to get that in his mindset.

“The life of a footballer is about trying to prove people wrong. I have no problem players going out on loan, it can work for everybody, but sometimes as a player, your biggest challenge is here at Man Utd and getting into that first team.”