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What is the story?
Real Madrid have been named the most valuable football brand in the world, overtaking Manchester United to gain top spot in the list.
In case you didn’t know….
Real Madrid have endured one of their most disastrous campaigns in recent history. Los Blancos, who will finish third in La Liga this season, have been knocked out of the Copa del Rey and the Champions League.
Real Madrid have been so poor in every department this season that Florentino Perez, the club president, had to bring back Zinedine Zidane. But the Frenchman couldn’t rescue the sinking ship as it was too little to late.
However, Real Madrid’s brand value has only increased in recent years because of their dominance in Europe; they won three consecutive Campions League titles. Despite losing their Portuguese superstar Cristiano Ronaldo to Juventus last summer, it is astonishing how the brand value graph has increased for Real Madrid.
Meanwhile, Manchester United have suffered a huge dip in recent years, especially after their inconsistent appearances in the Champions League and their domestic struggles in England.
The heart of the matter
According to Marca, the 13-time European champions are now the kings of overall brand values in world football, worth €1.646 billion.
Real Madrid's brand have risen to a staggering 27 per cent in value in the past year to become the first club in the world to have €750 million ticket revenue.
Manchester United, whose brand value is worth at €1.472 billion, are second in the list, while Real Madrid’s arch-rivals Barcelona occupy third spot with a brand value worth €1.393 billion.
Bayern Munich and Manchester City are placed fourth and fifth, with €1.314 billion and €1.255 billion respectively.
What’s Next?
It will be fascinating to see how Perez and Zidane will splash the cash in the summer transfer window to be a competitive outfit once again next season.
