Dubai: Just as they have done on the pitch in La Liga this season, Barcelona have also usurped their Spanish rivals Real Madrid off the field in terms of brand power, reclaiming the top spot they lost to Real last year.
According to the 2018 Football Top 50 report from the world’s leading brand valuation and strategy consultancy Brand Finance, the Catalan club’s brand strength improved from a score of 95.4 points to 96.6, while Real’s remained virtually unchanged despite a third successive charge to the Champions League final.
Barcelona have achieved this despite coach Ernesto Valverde replacing Luis Enrique in the dugout at the start of the season, and Brazilian striker Neymar leaving Nou Camp to join Paris St-Germain for over $270 million (Dh992 million) last summer.
They also started the season with a new shirt sponsorship deal with Japanese e-commerce firm Rakuten that is earning them $67 million a season, a figure bettered only by Real Madrid’s arrangement with Emirates airline ($85 million) and Manchester United’s deal with Chevrolet ($74 million).
Barca are significantly ahead of their peers in kit-manufacturer agreement however, grossing $189 million annually from Nike, in the world’s leading sports sponsorship deal.
“The combination of domestic prominence and European presence makes Barcelona and Real Madrid two of the most powerful clubs in the world,” said Brand Finance chief executive officer David Haigh. “Yet while their brands are instantly recognisable across all continents, they both face significant challenges in the years ahead when their star players, Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo, come to the end of their careers. Although the timing is uncertain, Barca and Real may have to invest to ensure there are succession plans in place.”
Elsewhere, Manchester United still lead the list for most valuable brands with a brand value of $1,895 million, which is $300 million higher than that of Real or Barca.
United’s brand strength improved three per cent last year while their brand value grew by nine per cent, despite finishing sixth in the Premier League and not featuring in last season’s Champions League.
Winning the Europa League and League Cup last season, and returning to the Champions League this season has helped however.
Like all Premier League clubs, United benefit from extraordinary broadcasting revenues but their commercial revenues of $390 million is what sets them apart from domestic and international rivals.
Eighteen Premier League clubs occupy the top 50 with six in the top 10. This is thanks to superior broadcasting deals, which account for 60 per cent of revenue and in some cases contributes more than 90 per cent of a club’s income. In terms of match day revenues however, Premier League clubs endure modest incomes mainly due to restrictive ground capacities, something that is being remedied through stadium redevelopment.
The Premier League enjoys awareness levels of 69 per cent in growth markets polled by Brand Finance, compared to that of 59 per cent for Spain’s La Liga.
