Bayern Munich Second in Brand Value After Champions League Final

Bayern Munich’s trip to the Champions League final lifted the European runner-up above Real Madrid into second place in a survey of soccer’s top teams by brand value.

The report published by Brand Finance Plc gives Bayern a brand valuation of $786 million, up 59 percent from last year. Manchester United, which has won a record 19 English league titles, tops the list with a brand estimated at $853 million.

“Shrewd commercial management and commanding Champions League performances by Bayern Munich could see United unseated from the top spot in the near future,” Brand Finance, which advises companies including brewer SABMiller Plc and bank Standard Chartered Plc, said.

Bayern was beaten 4-3 in a penalty shootout by Chelsea two days ago in the final of Europe’s elite club competition.

While many of the major clubs concentrate on the international market, Bayern has focused on Germany, according to Brand Finance. Its commercial revenue of $254 million is the highest of any club.

Spanish champion Real Madrid, which lost the top spot to United last year, drops to third at $600 million with Barcelona fourth at $580 million.

Even after winning the Champions League and the F.A. Cup, Chelsea remained in fifth place at $398 million because of its poor performance in the Premier League, where it finished sixth.

Premier League champion Manchester City continues its growth under billionaire Sheikh Mansour Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, who has spent more than $1 billion to win the club’s first league title since 1968. City ranks eighth with a value of $302 million, up 77 percent from last year.

The huge investment of Sheikh Mansour “is beginning to pay off for City both on and off the field,” the report said.

The report defined brand value as the trademark value and all associated intellectual property.

Top 25 clubs by brand value (millions of dollars):
====================================================
 1. Manchester United    853
 2. Bayern Munich        786
 3. Real Madrid          600
 4. Barcelona            580
 5. Chelsea              398
 6. Arsenal              388
 7. Liverpool            367
 8. Manchester City      302
 9. AC Milan             292
10. Schalke              266
11. Borussia Dortmund    227
12. Tottenham            225
13. Inter Milan          215
14. Ajax                 184
15. Marseille            168
16. Juventus             160
17. Hamburg              153
18. Lyon                 120
19. Aston Villa           87
20. Newcastle             86
21. Roma                  85
22. Napoli                85
23. Everton               79
24. Corinthians           77
25. Bordeaux              76

To contact the reporter on this story: Bob Bensch in London at bbensch@bloomberg.net.

To contact the editor responsible for this story: Christopher Elser at celser@bloomberg.net.