While plenty of people question the overall direction of Manchester United football club, and the style that the team employs on the pitch, their brand value only keeps increasing. Brand Finance, a valuation consulting firm, does an annual study of the world’s 50 most valuable football brands, with the 2018 edition being released today. The firm found United’s brand value equal to USD 1,895 million, which is more than USD 300 million higher than both Spanish giants Real Madrid and Barcelona.
Real came in at $1,573 million while Barca checked in at $1,511 million. The two La Liga juggernauts were also #2 and #3 last year as well. The top three clubs, along with Bayern Munich, were the only four clubs to receive the highest possible brand rating of AAA+.
United manager Jose Mourinho has consistently drawn attention this season to all the criticism his club takes, often saying that it’s not deserved. The Red Devils will finish in second place in the Premier League this campaign, and they were knocked out of the UEFA Champions League in the round of 16.
Also, their often pragmatic, defensive oriented style in not that aesthetically popular. However, they did move up the table quite a bit, as they finished only sixth last term. And their brand strength and value just keeps getting better.
“Manchester United’s brand strength improved on 2017 by 3% and their brand value grew by 9%,” an excerpt from the study reads.
“After last year’s exile in the UEFA Europa League, United’s brand strength was enhanced by two trophies and a return to the Champions League this season. Like all Premier League clubs, United benefit from extraordinary broadcasting revenues, but the club’s commercial revenues, totaling USD 390 million in 2017, are far greater than domestic and most international rivals.”
For a visual summary of findings, view the Brand Finance Football 50 infographic.
Overall, the Premier League had a very dominant showing in the study, as they comprised 18 of the top 50 and six of the first 10.
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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