Barcelona have replaced Real Madrid as the strongest brand in football, according to a study carried out by the consultancy firm Brand Finance.
Madrid could still end the season with a third consecutive Champions League triumph but Barca’s domestic success, coupled with a number of new sponsorship deals, has seen them take top spot off their Clasico rivals.
Ernesto Valverde has led the Catalans to a league and cup double, while off the pitch the club began a new sponsorship deal with Japanese e-commerce company Rakuten worth a potential €246 million over four years.
“After a season in which they had the upper hand in domestic football and benefitted from strong sponsorship deals, [Barca’s] brand strength improved — from 95.4 to 96.6 — while Real’s remained virtually unchanged at 96.4, despite another powerful performance in European competition,” Brand Finance explained.
“Barcelona’s rise as the world’s strongest football brand was also driven by excellent fan feedback in Brand Finance’s original research conducted in the developing football markets of China, India, and the United States.”
The two La Liga giants are joined in the top five by Manchester United (94.6), Bayern Munich (93.1) and Liverpool (92.2).
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