Treble-chasing Manchester City have surpassed Real Madrid as football’s most valuable brand in the world.
The Premier League club will see its brand value soar 15 percent this year to £1.29billion by adding the Champions League to their Premier League title and FA Cup win if they beat Inter Milan this Saturday.
That saw them overtake reigning European champions Real Madrid, whose brand value dropped three percent to £1.26bn, according to an analysis by Brand Finance.
However, Brand Finance said Real remained the strongest brand in world football and were most likely to be considered ‘the best club in the world’ by fans.
Barcelona came third in the ranking, with a five percent increase in brand value to £1.185bn, with Manchester United leaping ahead of rivals Liverpool into fourth spot.
United is worth £1.174bn (up 11 per cent) and Liverpool £1.173bn (up nine per cent).
United’s successful season under Erik ten Hag had ‘reconnected the team with the fans and laid the foundations for a renewed bid for future success,’ the report said.
Paris Saint-Germain and Bayern Munich occupied sixth and seventh spots before three Premier League clubs – Arsenal, Tottenham Hotspur and Chelsea – closed out the top 10.
Arsenal’s brand value had risen 16 per cent to £782million following their strong challenge for the Premier League title.
Chelsea’s had risen by two per cent to £742m off the back of a disappointing campaign and lower half finish, making them only the sixth-highest English club. Spurs’ value rose five per cent to £774m.
Brand Finance said fellow London clubs Brentford and Fulham were new entries into their top 50 chart, at 43rd and 49th positions respectively.
Newcastle United were reported to have the fastest-growing brand value of any United Kingdom club following an increase of 33 per cent to £216m in the wake of their Saudi takeover in 2021.
Hugo Hensley, Head of Sports Services at Brand Finance, said: ‘Manchester City has achieved an extraordinary feat by surpassing Real Madrid to become the champion of football club brands.
‘For five years, the City team has exerted its dominance in English football, securing four Premier League titles in the past five seasons.
‘However, the club’s performance in this year’s ranking highlights that Manchester City are performing off the pitch in terms of building a strong brand and attracting fans and sponsors, and setting the stage for what could be an iconic Champions League final against Inter Milan.’
