Juventus has been the best team in Italy for a good amount of time now. And it's been by a comfortable margin, too, considering what the current state of Serie A is sitting at. That's not news to anybody who has followed Italy's top division over the past five or six years.
But when it comes to the overall value of Juventus, that's also been on the rise. Which is good, because who doesn't like to see Juve do well and then get better? (Some people won't like the answer a lot of us have, but oh well.) Juventus Stadium has been a huge boost to the income figures. Same goes for the vastly-improved on-field product over the last four years. And because of that, Juventus' value has risen drastically — which currently sits at No. 9 worldwide, according to a report by Forbes Magazine.
Here are the vital numbers, courtesy of the insanely bright people at Forbes:
Team value: $837 mil.
Revenue: $379 mil.
Operating income: $50 mil.
The top five, just throw them out there: 1) Real Madrid (team value: $3.26 billion); 2) Barcelona ($3.16 billion); 3) Manchester United ($3.1 billion); 4) Bayern Munich ($2.35 billion); and 5) Manchester City ($1.38 billion).
As you can tell, there's still a whole lot of ground to make up before Juventus gets anywhere near those five clubs when it comes to competing with them on a financial level. As much improvement as Juve has made in the last decade in terms of keeping their books right and not shooting money out of cannons just to bring in every player they so desired, it's going to take some time before they're making those five hear footsteps.
At least when it comes to their overall club's value, that is.
On the field, well, I think we've already figured that one out.
However, there is also this: I am no business or finance expert by any means, but I would assume that with the run in the Champions League this season — which obviously could continue if next Wednesday night goes as most hope — and the new kit deal with adidas, the influx of cash will be quite fruitful and only add to the value of the best club in Italy.
Although, as a lot of the clubs in front of Juve can attest, it has a lot to do with what the country is doing as a whole as well. Serie A is still well behind the other big leagues when it comes to overall marketing and overall global recognition. Just ask anybody here in the U.S. how the EPL's product and presentation continues to grow. It's far and away from what is currently offered when it comes to Serie A.
Still, being the ninth-most valuable club in the world is sure a lot better than being down in teens or lower. So Juve can waive to the other Italian clubs from atop the mountain — both on the field and when it comes to the pure dollars and cents.