FC Barcelona are currently on a quest for perfection- just two matches away from becoming the first team in Spanish history to finish a season undefeated. It goes without saying that achieving this goal would be about as superlative as it gets, but in the meantime the Catalan Club have realized another benchmark.
They are the most popular club amongst Americans, more liked than any domestic Major League Soccer club, according to Brand Finance, a strategy consulting firm. Brand Finance released their annual study of the most valuable and strongest football/futbol/soccer brands and FC Barcelona takes the 2018 title as the strongest soccer brand in the world.
Barça were pushed into second place last year, by hated arch-rivals Real Madrid, but after a season in which the Blaugrana dominated La Liga and benefitted from lucrative sponsorship deals, the Catalan club’s brand strength improved – from 95.4 to 96.6 – while Real’s remained virtually unchanged, despite another powerful performance in the UEFA Champions League: Los Blancos will meet Liverpool in the Final in Kiev at the end of this month.
Barca’s rise as the world’s strongest club brand was also driven by fan feedback in the study’s research conducted in the developing markets of China, India, and the United States.
For a visual summary of findings, view the Football 50 infographic.
FC Barcelona represent more than just a city, or even a state/province. They are the team for a nation without a state. They are Catalonia’s club, and given what may come of current political climate conditions, it may not be long before they they are literally a national team.
The strong passion of their overwhelmingly large fan base is reflected by the size of their home stadium, the Camp Nou (“New Field). With a seating capacity of 99,354, it is the largest stadium in Spain and Europe, and the second largest association football stadium in the world in capacity.
“The combination of domestic prominence and European presence makes Barcelona and Real Madrid two of the most powerful clubs in the world,” said Bryn Anderson, Director at Brand Finance.
“Yet while their brands are instantly recognizable across all continents, they both face significant challenges in the years ahead when their star players, Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo, come to the end of their careers.
“Although the timing is uncertain, Barça and Real may have to invest to ensure there are succession plans in place.”
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FC Barcelona are enjoying more recent success domestically than Real Madrid, winning 13 honors in Spain versus Real’s four during this past decade, but Madrid have claimed three of the last four UEFA Champions Leagues, with a chance for a fifth coming up in a couple weeks.
Los Blancos’ dominance in Europe has created a dynasty that compares to the club’s golden age of the mid-to-late 1950s. The Los Meringues brand is enhanced of course by the presence of Galactico of all Galacticos Cristiano Ronaldo, the world’s most highly paid athlete.
The FC Barcelona rivalry with Real Madrid extends beyond the pitch at the two editions of El Clasico each year. It’s also about winning the hearts and minds of the people., Europe.
According to the study, La Liga has a very high level of awareness – some 59% – among soccer fans in China, India, and the USA.
Paul M. Banks runs The Sports Bank.net and TheBank.News, which is partnered with News Now. Banks, a former writer for the Washington Times, NBC Chicago.com and Chicago Tribune.com, currently contributes regularly to WGN CLTV and the Tribune company’s blogging community Chicago Now.
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