Forbes: Dallas Cowboys worth $4bn (€3.62bn), overtake Real Madrid as most valuable sports franchise

The Dallas Cowboys (NFL) have become the most valuable sports franchise in the world at $4bn (€3.62bn), overtaking Real Madrid CF (LaLiga), whose value is estimated at $3.65 (€3.3m), according to the American economic magazine Forbes, which published its 2016 sports valuation list on 13/07/2016. FC Barcelona (LaLiga) are third in the ranking, at $3.55m (€3.2bn).

Of the Top 50 sports franchises in the Forbes list, only eight football clubs appear: Real Madrid, Barcelona, Manchester United FC (Premier League), FC Bayern Munich (Bundesliga), Arsenal FC (Premier League), Manchester City FC (Premier League), Chelsea FC (Premier League), and Liverpool (Premier League).

In contrast, the NFL, which has concluded the first year of its new television contracts (estimated at over $5bn / €4.52bn per year) in 2015, comprises 27 of the Top 50 most valuable sports franchises in the world. The NFL, which has 32 franchises in total, has an average value per team of $2bn (€1.8bn), according to Forbes.

• The franchise values "are based on the Forbes valuations done over the past year for NFL National…