Manchester United’s value as a football club has dwindled since the Glazer family took control, but it remains one of the biggest in the world.
In brand terms, United have shown a decline and are now well below “noisy neighbors” Manchester City in the pecking order.
According to SportsLens.com via The Daily Star, City is now the world’s second-biggest soccer brand behind Real Madrid, with United falling to fifth place behind Barcelona and Liverpool.
Despite Real Madrid and Barca being in the top three, “Brand Finance’s survey showed that the Premier League still dominates world football, with a brand value of £7.46bn in 2022” .
This compares to Spain’s La Liga which is less than half that at £3.56bn.
However, in terms of the value of the club itself, rather than the brand, United are third in the world, according to Forbes via The Mail.
“The Glazer-owned club has been valued at £3.9bn by the American business magazine, just below Real Madrid’s £4.4bn and Barcelona’s £4.3bn,” The Mail reports.
“United has seen its value increase by 24 percent in the last five years with performances on the field that do not affect its overall market value.”
The fact that United are losing ground in terms of brand value but maintaining their position in club value can mean two things.
First of all, it may mean that support is declining (fewer people buying the brand), but investments and asset values (eg player values, stock price, etc., corporate side) continue to being buoyant.
Secondly, it may mean that the club is a ‘sleeping giant’, where brand equity is a short-term indicator of lack of success on the pitch, but the club’s global appeal is recognized to mean that it is capable of of massive growth when the results begin to arrive in the field, thus maintaining an intrinsic value.
As rumors mount that the Glazers may be ready to sell the club, the question remains as to how much they will be willing to sell it for. With a valuation of £3.9m, they will almost certainly be looking for much higher than that as they aim to get the best price for their assets.
