Put Your Money Where Your Mouth Is: Bayern Emerges World’s Most Valuable Team.

Bayern's Status As European Champions Boosted Their Global Audience.
Bayern’s Status As European Champions Boosted Their Global Audience.

According to branding agency Brand Finance, German club Bayern Munich has emerged the World’s Most Valuable Football Brand, pushing Manchester United to second place on the list.

Bayern’s brand is said to now worth $860m (£570m); an improvement largely accrued to their new status as European champions, which Brand Finance claims has given them access to a wider global audience.

Meanwhile the all- German Champions League final last season proved insufficient as to knocking the English League out of its perch in brand value terms- Germany’s Bundesliga still ranks second to the Premier League.

Premier League club brands have a combined value of $3.1bn, the research suggested, far beyond the $1.9bn combined value of Bundesliga teams.

Real Madrid and Barcelona came third and fourth respectively in the rankings, followed by the Premier League’s Chelsea, Arsenal, Liverpool and Manchester City.

AC Milan ranks 10th, the highest placed team from the Serie A.

Chief Executive of Brand Finance David Haigh said despite the emergence of Bayern, there remained an obvious discord between the management of both German and English League.

“The commercial transformation of the English game, which has created hugely successful global brands, had been seen as the model to emulate,” Haigh said.

“However, the escalation of player wages, poor financial management and alienation of grass roots fan has left many people jaded.

“In contrast, the cheap tickets, high attendances, democratic ownership structure and financial prudence of the Bundesliga now looks like an attractive alternative, particularly now it is delivering world- beating fluid football rather than the more workmanlike style German teams had been known for.”