Manchester United - A perfect blend of football and business
“Glory Glory Man United”
” You can never write off United”
“Man United Valued at $2.3bn”
“United reports record profit before Singapore IPO”
So,what exactly are we talking about?
It’s quite simple if you are a United fan because it won’t require even a guess then. The biggest brand and the most popular team-Manchester United is the real deal today. They are often known for their rich history and achievements followed by the fan masses in each and every country. Many other clubs today like Barcelona, Arsenal, Real Madrid, Chelsea and Bayern Munich have achieved success and are brands too, but what makes United come first?
Great Football Side
“In order to become the best brand which can be accepted by the world, you need to excel in your prime shape first”. A football side who cannot be at the top will completely falter in its other goals – short and long term. The sharp objectives of realising your dreams come second to your primary priority. The best football club in England and one of the best in Europe, United have lifted the Premiership 19 times, Fa Cup 11 times, League Cup 4 times, 5 European silverware and 2 International Club titles. Though they lost the English crown last season to their noisy neighbours – Manchester City; United look firmly set to recapture the crown this season as they have a healthy lead and a healthy squad.
Paradise Where Legends Are Born
Today, most of the clubs acquire wealthy assets (world-class players) with money. The biggest example is of Cristiano Ronaldo who became a Los Blancos from a Red Devil in a world record transfer fee of 80 million pounds. However, the Theater of Dreams as its rightly called, has produced some legends of the game:
George Best – El Beatle
Cristiano Ronaldo - The Golden boy
Eric Cantonna – The King
David Beckham – The H0llywood of Football
Ryan Giggs – The Classical Welsh
United: The business Tycoons
Display of United’s major sponsors-Nike And DHL
The famous club has won it all and seen it all. The best way to satisfy its fans and its management is by doing prosperous business. The club wins again! Whopping profits in merchandise sales right from its sponsors like Sharp to Vodafone, touching the Banking sectors like AIG and Aon. The brand partner “Nike”, distributes its clothing and accessories and after seeing the profits, United came up with their own idea and launched “Official Manchester United Stores” worldwide, including India. The United Legend, Gary Neville came to Mumbai for its official launch in India and since then, almost all the places out here have seen atleast one United store.
They also went for an Initial Public Offer by raising their shares in London Stock Exchange, New York Stock Exchange, Singapore Stock Exchange and are eyeing the Hong Kong Stock Exchange next. Some of United’s sponsors are: AON, Hublot, DHL, Smirnoff, Bwin etc.
Fanbase
The fans of United range from those in underdeveloped countries to the most developed ones. It crosses 6 continents and more than 180 countries. According to Forbes, Manchester United has 659 million fans worldwide which is double of Real Madrid, Barcelona and Chelsea. The survey by Forbes concluded that United has 71 million fans in America, 90 million in Europe, 173 million in Middle East, 325 million in Asia Pacific and the list goes on.
Growing Popularity – Bright Future
Earning the tag of “Best Sports Brand” is never easy but when you have the soul and heart of Sir Alex Ferguson and his men assisted by David Gill and company,your future can only be brighter. United have accomplished a phase in which the status and wealth of the club will not come to a standstill even if the footballing giant fails to conquer the pitch. They have the most number of fans in the world, produce the best players and are looked after by the best manager of all time. The business and empire of the Red Army will continue to expand and reach infinity irrespective of any possible hurdle.