Man U Reigns as Top Football Brand

Despite failing to qualify for the Champions League, Manchester United continues to be the world’s most valuable football brand, according to Brand Finance’s annual Football 50 report.

April 6, 2018

Study reveals world’s most valuable football brands ahead of UEFA Euro 2016.

The report, published just days before the start of UEFA Euro 2016 on June 10, calculates brand value by combining current revenues and estimating likely future sales and royalty rates for use of the brand.

Man U, which was also ranked No. 1 in 2015, topped the report with a brand value of $1.17 billion. Despite the team’s fifth place league finish, Mna U's value was strengthened by the new Premier League broadcasting deal that saw the rights to the next three seasons’ games divided between Sky and BT Sport for more than £5.1 billion, boosting the brand values of all premier leagues clubs and keeping the team just ahead of Real Madrid.

Meanwhile, Real Madrid ascended to second place with a brand value of $1.15 billion after the club claimed another Champions League Title, “La Undécima.” The team’s current coach

Zinedine Zidane also bolstered the team’s brand by helping reinforce the team’s image as a natural home of soccer’s biggest stars. The forthcoming renegotiation of La Liga’s TV rights, a €140 million per year deal with Adidas and an AAA+ brand, also helped strengthen the team’s brand value.

Rounding out the top 10 most valuable soccer brands are FC Barcelona, Manchester City FC, FC Bayern Munchen, Arsenal FC, Paris Saint-Germain FC, Chelsea FC, Liverpool FC and Tottenham Hotspur FC (in order).

Another highlight from the study showed Leicester City increase its brand value by 132 percent. The team’s brand value of $237 million put the team at No. 16 globally, up from No. 42 in 2015, making the team the fastest-growing football club brand.

“Leicester’s success is something their existing sponsors will only have dreamed of and their return on investment has been spectacular,” says David Haigh, chief executive officer, Brand Finance. “Armed with a thorough understanding of what its brand is really worth to potential sponsors, Leicester will now need to carefully manage the flood of offers and opportunities it receives to both maximize revenue and create partnerships that will reinforce the club’s brand as well as its bottom line.”