Staggering £4.25bn figure that hints at FSG's long-term plan for Liverpool

Liverpool have seen the steepest valuation rise of any football club in Forbes’ top 50 list of the most valuable sports teams on the planet.

Forbes magazine has long published lists featuring the most valuable sports teams and assets, with the latest list arriving at the weekend and pegging Liverpool’s valuation at $5.29bn (£4.25bn) - a figure that places the club 20th on the overall list. Year on year it is a rise of two places for the Reds.

Liverpool are ranked as the fourth most valuable team in world football and 20th overall, behind only Real Madrid in 11th ($6.07bn), Manchester United in 13th ($6bn) and Barcelona in 18th ($5.51bn). But it is by how much the valuation of the Reds has climbed over the last five years that makes it stand out.

Liverpool have seen a 176% surge in valuation on the Forbes list - a figure that far outstrips the rises seen by Real Madrid (48%), Manchester United (46%), Barcelona (36%), Manchester City (102%) and Bayern Munich (59%). It does, however, fall short of the rise in valuation seen by Paris Saint-Germain (336%) over the same period. The French side are valued at $4.21bn and are 36th on the overall list.

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When compared to the other teams on the list from across sport - with the rest of the list dominated by North American teams from the NFL, MLB and NBA, as well as the representation of Formula One through Ferrari and Mercedes - Liverpool have seen the fourth biggest increase in valuation. Those to have seen bigger increases are PSG and the two F1 teams, whose appearance in the top 50 saw Chelsea and the Brooklyn Nets