Manchester United Beat Real Madrid To Become The Most Valuable Football Club
Reuters / Phil Noble
They might not be daunting on the title front domestically and in the Champions League after former manager Sir Alex Ferguson’s retirement, but Manchester United have been named the most valuable football club as a brand by Forbes.
The Mancunian club is valued at fourth overall amongst clubs across all sports. The English giants are behind Dallas Cowboys, New York Yankees and Los Angeles Lakers. This comes as a great news for the fans and the club officials, after quite a successful reign last season under manager Jose Mourinho. The Old Trafford club won the Europa League, the League Cup, and the FA Community Shield to mark a successful campaign.
Moreover, they top the charts when it comes to football clubs, with Spanish giants Barcelona second and La Liga champions Real Madrid at third place. Real became the first team in the modern era to defend the UEFA Champions League and add a third title in 4 years. Despite the bragging trophy honours, Zinedine Zidane’s men still lag behind United as a brand.
Jose’s side has a brand value of £425 million, a rise of 12.8%, while Catalan giants Barcelona saw their stock go up by 5.5%, as they stand at £405 million. Meanwhile, the galactico-studded Madrid are valued at £385 million, as they saw a surprise drop of 2.1%.
When it comes to players as a brand value, football legend Lionel Messi has seen his brand value drop by 10% to £10 million. The Barcelona superstar is behind his rival Cristiano Ronaldo by miles. Ronaldo is 4th on the overall list that includes sportspersons across all sports. Messi meanwhile, is on 9th.
Ronaldo’s brand value is £16m, and is behind the likes of tennis great Roger Federer, who tops the charts. Fedex is followed by basketball superstar LeBron James at second, as world’s fastest man Usain Bolt occupies third place. Ronaldo was voted FIFA Best Player of the Year for the second successive year, and is also expected to pip Messi to win a 5th career Ballon d’Or.
Written by Rajdeep Saha 
Sports journalist with stints across print, digital and television. Contribution to each medium has been thrilling. Experienced in writing for this passionate game called football. Journalist by choice and passion.