Manchester United, Real Madrid Named in Forbes' Most Valuable Sports Brands List
Real Madrid, Manchester United, Barcelona and Bayern Munich rank among the top 10 most valuable team sports brands, according to a recent study by Forbes (h/t Daily Mirror's Liam Corless). Los Blancos lead the way among football clubs, ranked fifth with a value of £302 million.
Manchester United are sixth, with a value of £290 million, while Barcelona sit seventh and Bayern Munich eighth in the list, at £284 million and £244 million, respectively.
The New York Yankees, baseball's most popular team, tops the list with a value of £430 million. All of the teams in the top four are North American sports franchises.
| NY Yankees | MLB | £430 million |
| LA Lakers | NBA | £339 million |
| Dallas Cowboys | NFL | £323 million |
| New England Patriots | NFL | £302 million |
| Real Madrid | La Liga | £302 million |
| Manchester United | EPL | £290 million |
| Barcelona | La Liga | £284 million |
| Bayern Munich | Bundesliga | £244 million |
| LA Dodgers | MLB | £242 million |
| NY Knicks | NBA | £235 million |
The study is based solely on the value of the brand each respective team represents and is not be confused with the actual list of most valuable teams.
As explained by Corless: “Team brands are the amount of the team’s value that can be attributable to local revenue like television and tickets, above and beyond what the typical team in the same sport and in a similar market generates.”
Real Madrid remains the most valuable team in the world, with Barcelona and Manchester United coming in fourth and fifth, respectively, per Forbes.
The Yankees' spot at the top of the sports brand list shouldn't come as a huge surprise. Not only is the team routinely among the sport's best, the iconic logo can be found adorning baseball caps across the globe.
The Los Angeles Lakers (£339 million) and Dallas Cowboys (£323 million) complete the top three.
As the only Premier League team in the top 10, it's clear that despite the lack of on-pitch success the club has seen in the past couple of years, United are still far and away the biggest football brand in England.
Barcelona may have won the La Liga title as part of their historic treble-winning season last year, but in this list at least, their rivals from Madrid conclusively win the battle.
Meanwhile, Bayern's spot as lone Bundesliga representative is hardly surprising, given their recent dominance of the German league.
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