Bloomberg - 02/27/2008
Barcelona Tops Real Madrid as Europe's Favorite Soccer Club
Barcelona topped archrival Real Madrid as the best-supported soccer club in Europe this season, according to research by Sport+Markt AG.
The Catalan club has 50.3 million fans across the continent, 4.4 million more than Real Madrid, the sports marketing company said. Manchester United and Arsenal are next most popular, while Chelsea's fan base has soared more than five-fold since 2003.
``Along with Chelsea, Barcelona is the big winner,'' Hartmut Zastrow, an executive director of Sport+Markt, said in a statement today. Real Madrid was the ``main loser.''
Two-time European champion Barcelona, which calls itself ``more than a club,'' has playmakers including Ronaldinho and Lionel Messi on its roster. Joan Laporta, president of the 2006 Champions League winner, says initiatives such as shunning a commercial jersey sponsor help the team differentiate itself from rivals.
Real Madrid's fan base has dropped by 11 percent since the 2003-04 season, when it topped the first Sport+Markt ranking. Barcelona overtook Real in the 2006-07 season.
Madrid failed to win a trophy for four straight seasons through 2006 even after buying players including David Beckham, Zinedine Zidane and Ronaldo, known as the ``galacticos.''
Gunners Lag
Manchester United has 32.8 million followers in Europe, almost 10 million more than Premier League leader Arsenal, said Cologne, Germany-based Sport+Markt, which interviewed 9,600 people in 16 countries. European champion AC Milan is the continent's fifth most popular team.
Bayern Munich is ranked sixth, one place ahead of Chelsea, which overtook 18-time English league champion Liverpool.
``The fact Chelsea has increased its fan base more than five-fold clearly shows what a fast-moving market football is,'' Zastrow said.
Chelsea won the 2005 and 2006 English league titles, its first in half a century, after a spending spree on players by billionaire owner Roman Abramovich.
Top clubs should tap the Internet to boost sales to foreign fans, Zastrow said.
``There is a booming market of over 225 million football fans right on clubs' doorsteps,'' he said.
EUROPE'S BEST SUPPORTED SOCCER CLUBS (BY MILLIONS OF FANS)
1. Barcelona 50.3
2. Real Madrid 45.9
3. Manchester United 32.8
4. Arsenal 22.9
5. AC Milan 22.2
6. Bayern Munich 19.9
7. Chelsea 19.7
8. Liverpool 19.4
9. Juventus 17.7
10. Zenit St. Petersburg 15.3
11. Spartak Moscow 13.5
12. Inter Milan 10.9
13. Lyon 10.4
14. Marseille 9.7
15. CSKA Moscow 6.6
16. Wisla Krakow 6.6
17. Ajax 5.8
18. Galatasaray 5.2
19. AS Roma 4.4
20. Werder Bremen 4.4
by Alex Duff