Real Madrid Are The Most Valuable Football Club In The World
A report from Brand Finance has found Real Madrid are 2019’s most valuable football club brand with a worth of $2.67 billion.
The report, Brand Finance Football 50 2019, found Real Madrid knocked off Manchester United for the top spot and also rank with the highest enterprise value in the world.
It also comes as no surprise that their home stadium, the Santiago Bernabeu, topped the stadium performance ranking as well.
Brand Finance director, Bryn Anderson, said this comes after years of being the most successful club in the history of European football.
“Real Madrid has shown this year who truly reigns supreme in the world of football,” Mr Anderson said.
“They triumph not only as the most valuable and strongest brand, but their enterprise value and stadium are also ranked second to none.
“The most successful club in the history of European football is finally reaping the benefits of decades of spectacular on and off-pitch performance,” he said.
The report showed Real Madrid grew 27% since last year, which can most likely be attributed to the club winning four UEFA Champions League titles in the last five years, up to 2018.
This comes despite Real Madrid losing their long-time star Christiano Ronaldo to Italy’s Juventus, who ranked 11 for brand value, and exiting the UEFA Champions League in the round of 16 this year after falling to Dutch side, Ajax, who placed 30 in the report.
The six leading clubs with regards to brand value include Manchester United, Barcelona, Bayern Munich, Manchester City and Liverpool, who combined, are responsible for over 40% of the overall brand values of the top 50 clubs.
Another key highlight of the report found that the Premier League is the most widely followed national competition across key Europeans markets, with English clubs receiving 17 entrants in the top 50, equating to 43% of total brand value in the rankings.
The Premier League was followed in entrants by the Bundesliga, who had 13 clubs, while Real Madrid’s league, LaLiga, managed to top the Bundesliga with regards to brand value by a league.
Another talking point in the report is the fall of English leaders, Manchester United, who suffered a 6% drop to their brand value in 2019.
A drop-off like this can potentially be attributed to the club’s failure to qualify for the UEFA Champions League for the third time in seven years, along with the rise of neighbours, Manchester City, who just won the Premier League title for the second consecutive season.
Regardless, Real Madrid has managed to prove their dominance in the international market as the largest brand in all of football for 2019, the first time the club has done so since 2010.
