Real Madrid, Barcelona, Manchester United: What is the most valuable club in world football?

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By Jack Saville

Published Jun 20, 2021

Seven clubs are worth more than $1bn...

Football clubs are some of the most financially dominant brands on the planet.

The sport's universal appeal has enabled plenty of gargantuan outfits to attract fans from all over the world, generating millions, if not billions, of pounds through a variety of revenue streams.

It's the reason why every billionaire and his butler's dog appear to be hellbent on purchasing a football club and attempting to spend their way to the top.

Of course, transcending into the elite isn't as straightforward as the Football Manager franchise may have led you to believe, but investment continues to pour into the game at an astronomical rate.

Manchester City are almost certainly the flagship example of how rampant spending can turn a mediocre club into a genuinely established heavyweight of the football world, but just how valuable have they actually become since Sheikh Mansour purchased the club in 2008?

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Well, according to Branddirectory.com, City are in fourth place, narrowly behind local rivals Manchester United, in the ranking of the most valuable football brands on the planet.

With a valuation of $1.31bn, City are one of six English clubs residing in the top ten.

Real Madrid occupy top spot ahead of Barcelona while Bayern Munich (5th) and Paris Saint-Germain (7th) make up the remainder of the top ten.

A total of 18 English clubs are included in the top 50, which goes to show just how commercially desirable the Premier League is for potential investors.

There is no place for a single Serie A side inside the top 10. Despite dominating Serie A for the best part of a decade and the signing of Cristiano Ronaldo, Juventus are only in 11th place behind the markedly less successful north London clubs Arsenal and Tottenham Hotspur.

Finally, Celtic's dominance in Scotland has put them ahead of Rangers despite the pendulum swing in the SPFL during the 2020/21 season.

The Hoops are positioned in 48th and there's no place for their Glaswegian rivals.

Take a look at the top 50 in full below:

50. Mainz

49. Lazio

48. Celtic

47. Werder Bremen

46. Marseille

45. FC Koln

44. Villarreal

43. Athletic Bilbao

42. Brighton & Hove Albion