Top 5 biggest Football clubs in the world.

tentan

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In terms of history, power, prestige, wealth, reputation, trophies, popularity, fanbase and everything really etc.

For me

1. Real Madrid
2. Manchester United
3. Barcelona
4. Bayern Munich
5. Juventus

Have I got it right? Or would you change anyone?
 

LASpurs

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In terms of history, power, prestige, wealth, reputation, trophies, popularity, fanbase and everything really etc.

For me

1. Real Madrid
2. Manchester United
3. Barcelona
4. Bayern Munich
5. Juventus

Have I got it right? Or would you change anyone?
Watch out, you’ll trigger some scousers…
 

Eddy_JukeZ

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I think Milan should be in there. 2nd most successful side in Europe Cup/CL history.

Arguably had the greatest club side ever under Sacchi.

I'd put Liverpool in there too and make it a top 7.
 

Skills

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Tier A: Real Madrid
Tier B: Barcelona, Bayern Munich
Tier C: Man United, Liverpool, Juventus, Inter, Milan

Nobody comes close to Real Madrid let's be honest. Entire different kettle of fish
 

Eddy_JukeZ

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Tier A: Real Madrid
Tier B: Barcelona, Bayern Munich
Tier C: Man United, Liverpool, Juventus, Inter, Milan

Nobody comes close to Real Madrid let's be honest. Entire different kettle of fish
Not sure Barcelona/Bayern are a tier ahead of those teams in C.
 

heraklion

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Tier 1: Real Madrid followed by (with a distance) AC Milan
Tier 2: Liverpool & Bayern
Tier 3: Barcelona
Tier 4: United, Inter, Ajax, Juventus

Those who put Barca above AC Milan, Liverpool, Bayern probably think football was invented early 2000s.

Juve could make it to Tier 2 if they didn't lose that many UCL finals, United too if they could win couple more..
 

Chipper

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Manchester United
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Eddy_JukeZ

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Tier 1: Real Madrid followed by (with a distance) AC Milan
Tier 2: Liverpool & Bayern
Tier 3: Barcelona
Tier 4: United, Inter, Ajax, Juventus

Those who put Barca above AC Milan, Liverpool, Bayern probably think football was invented early 2000s.

Juve could make it to Tier 2 if they didn't lose that many UCL finals, United too if they could win couple more..
Liverpool 2 tiers ahead of United :lol: :lol: :lol:
 

Offside

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Depends what you mean by big. If by global support and recognition, then when you travel around it’s obvious that it’s Man United and often people have considered that we are the biggest name.

It’s hard to argue that United are a “bigger club” than Real Madrid though when you see their stature and pulling power, and success. The OP seems to include those things in their definition so I’d say United are a 3rd behind Reap and Barca.
 

heraklion

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Liverpool 2 tiers ahead of United :lol: :lol: :lol:
These are not definitive tiers, obviously..

National performance-wise: both teams are similar
International performance-wise: there's a significant gap, even Ajax has won more UCL titles than United and Chelsea only one less..

United just like Juve significantly underperformed in the UCL considering the prestige & national domination they have.. They could have won more under SAF but then had to deal with Messi's Barca..

Now a comparison purely on wealth, number of fans etc. might change these tiers..
 
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Eddy_JukeZ

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These are not definitive tiers, obviously..

National performance-wise: both teams are similar
International performance-wise: there's a significant gap, even Ajax has won more UCL titles than United and Chelsea only one less..

United just like Juve significantly underperformed in the UCL considering the prestige & national domination they have.. They could have won more under SAF but then had to deal with Messi's Barca..
Liverpool are not 2 tiers bigger as a club than United are nor are they bigger in general.

United's brand name is simply greater.
 

Theonas

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If we're talking world wide appeal and brand recognition among even the casual viewers in the 21st century, then it's Real Madrid, Barcelona and Manchester United. Followed by the Italian giants, Liverpool and Bayern.

If we're talking about status within the footballing fraternity, then it's Real Madrid by some distance, followed by Barcelona and Milan mainly because of the names that played for them and their imprint on the European Cup especially since the best players in the world tend to come from countries where Spain and Italy are seen as the most romantic and glamorous place to play football in. In third tier, you'd have Manchester United, Liverpool, Bayern, Inter and Juventus. The South Americans and Latin players simply don't see English and German footballing cultures as the top place to be whereas the other Italian giants Inter and Juventus haven't had enough European success.
 

heraklion

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Liverpool are not 2 tiers bigger as a club than United are nor are they bigger in general.

United's brand name is simply greater.
My ranking is not about the brand name, it's about the performance on the pitch & trophies especially on the international stage..

Brand values also evolve and are time-dependent, I don't think any team could come close to AC Milan's reputation late 80s-early 90s in that period.. Real was for example irrelevant for a long time in the 70s-80s-early 90s in the international stage..
 
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njred

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Liverpool are not 2 tiers bigger as a club than United are nor are they bigger in general.

United's brand name is simply greater.
I think he meant success on the international stage which makes sense with the order he has the clubs in.
 

heraklion

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That's not what the OP asked for.
since you're that much into branding, below link shows brand values

1. Man City
2. Real Madrid
.
.
.
7. Bayern
8. Arsenal
9. Tottenham

Nobody can convince me that Man City is bigger/greater than Bayern/Real/AC Milan/United/Liverpool/Ajax/Barca etc. because of their "brand value".. Or Arsenal/Tottenham greater than AC Milan or Juve (they're not even in top-10)

www.brandirectory.com/rankings/football/
www.visualcapitalist.com/most-valuable-football-club-brands/
 

Eddy_JukeZ

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I think he meant success on the international stage which makes sense with the order he has the clubs in.
I know he meant that, but the OP didn't ask for rankings based on international success.
 

Eddy_JukeZ

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since you're that much into branding, below link shows brand values

1. Man City
2. Real Madrid
.
.
.
7. Bayern
8. Arsenal
9. Tottenham

Nobody can convince me that Man City is bigger/greater than Bayern/Real/AC Milan/United/Liverpool/Ajax/Barca etc. because of their "brand value".. Or Arsenal/Tottenham greater than AC Milan or Juve (they're not even in top-10)

www.brandirectory.com/rankings/football/
www.visualcapitalist.com/most-valuable-football-club-brands/
You're being pedantic for no reason at this point.

From the OP, " history, power, prestige, wealth, reputation, trophies, popularity, fanbase and everything really etc."

City are obviously nowhere near the top 10.
 

njred

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since you're that much into branding, below link shows brand values

1. Man City
2. Real Madrid
.
.
.
7. Bayern
8. Arsenal
9. Tottenham

Nobody can convince me that Man City is bigger/greater than Bayern/Real/AC Milan/United/Liverpool/Ajax/Barca etc. because of their "brand value".. Or Arsenal/Tottenham greater than AC Milan or Juve (they're not even in top-10)

www.brandirectory.com/rankings/football/
www.visualcapitalist.com/most-valuable-football-club-brands/
I think your international success list was better. The branding is just money.
 

NWRed

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Tier A: Real Madrid
Tier B: Barcelona, Bayern Munich
Tier C: Man United, Liverpool, Juventus, Inter, Milan

Nobody comes close to Real Madrid let's be honest. Entire different kettle of fish
Just because Madrid are popular in the countries in South America that produce great players doesn't mean they're the biggest world wide.

The top 3 are Real, Barca and United with Liverpool, Bayern, Juventus and AC Milan below that world wide. As for Inter ask Onana whether he thinks Inter are on the same level of popularity as United, it seems you may be surprised at the answer.
 

TenonTen

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Real
Bayern
Barca
United
Liverpool

Real Madrid is the biggest. Others are interchangeable depending on recent success.
 

Havak

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It really depends on what factors you are including in 'big club'.

For me, if you are combining absolutely everything that makes a club big, then Real Madrid & Manchester United are realistically the two stand outs. I'd put Real above United, but they're absolutely the top two when you combine on field success and brand recognition/popularity around the world (and everything in-between).

After that, it's a really close run thing with AC Milan, Bayern Munich, Barcelona, and Liverpool. It would take far too much digging to to whittle one of them out of the top 5. Juventus probably have a shout to be included in that mix as well, but I think they'd end up behind all of the teams mentioned so far in my list (unless the combined credentials really do surpass the others). We're only really talking top 5 in this thread, so honestly, despite some other huge clubs in England, Italy, Germany, and Spain who would think they should be involved, they're only really part of a top 10 discussion in my opinion.

So:

Real Madrid
Manchester United

Chose 3 from AC Milan, Barcelona, Bayern Munich, Juventus, and Liverpool and put them in any order you like.
 

WeePat

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In terms of history, power, prestige, wealth, reputation, trophies, popularity, fanbase and everything really etc.

For me

1. Real Madrid
2. Manchester United
3. Barcelona
4. Bayern Munich
5. Juventus

Have I got it right? Or would you change anyone?
In my mind Milan are bigger than Juventus.
 

WeePat

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1. Real Madrid


2. Manchester United
3. Barcelona
4. Bayern Munich
5. Liverpool
6. Milan
 

tomaldinho1

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Real Madrid are No1 by some margin.

At one point we were clearly No2, then Barca were for a time. Maybe I'd say Barca/United/Juve are about the same now given the former's issues, they seem genuinely fecked the more I read about their finances.
AC/Pool/Bayern (re Bayern mostly because their league was seen as 'lesser' and had less interest)
PSG/City/Arsenal/Ajax/Porto etc.
 

LochGormanAbú

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In no particular order,

Real Madrid, Barca, Man utd, Liverpool and Juventus
Honourable shout out to Ac Milan, Bayern, Inter and Celtic
 

Gehrman

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Dunno it depends whether its atm or historically.

1. Real Madrid
2. Barcelona, Man Utd,
3. Liverpool, Ac Milan, Bayern Munich
4. Arsenal, Chelsea, Inter
5. Man city and Psg. Athletico Madrid.
 

VARsenal

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1. Real Madrid
2. Manchester United
3. Barcelona
4. Bayern Munich
5. Liverpool
 

RedDevilCanuck

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If we win 4 CL in 10 years we will be no.1 by far.

Even most of our fans would rather win the league over the CL which is ridiculous. We need to start winning more in Europe.
 

Desert Eagle

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In terms of history, power, prestige, wealth, reputation, trophies, popularity, fanbase and everything really etc.

For me

1. Real Madrid
2. Manchester United
3. Barcelona
4. Bayern Munich
5. Juventus

Have I got it right? Or would you change anyone?
Madrid
United
Barca
Liverpool
Bayern
 

mav_9me

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I'd be more interested in non united fans answers on this. Curious to see where they see United
 

Rojofiam

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S tier, probably in this order:

1. Real Madrid
2. Barcelona
3. Manchester United

Then, A tier, in no particular order: Liverpool, Bayern Munich, AC Milan, Juventus

And then the rest.

However, there are certain aspects of being a big club IMO. You need to have all of these in order to be able to break into S tier: Money, Big stadium, Huge following globally, Huge "pull", and a time period of sustained success in the modern era

1. Let's look at Liverpool, for example: A true historical giant if you look at trophies won, they have a big stadium, a huge global following, however, do they have as big of a pull as Manchester United? No. Do they even have a bigger pull, than Chelsea or Arsenal? I don't think so. They don't even have the financial strength of these 3 I just listed.

Why? I think because they won most of their major honours before football became such a big global phenomenon in the last ~30 years. That's why United have a bigger following, a bigger stadium, more money, and a bigger pull. Because of what we achieved between 1992 and 2013. Sir Alex Ferguson's era, 13 Premier League titles, 2 Champions League trophies, a lot of FA Cup and League Cups, a 75 thousand capacity stadium, countless legendary players, countless unforgettable moments and memories, and very importantly, the fact that the Premier League became what it is today. If it wasn't the biggest, best, and by far the richest league in the world, we could've easily lost our status as a top 3 biggest club in the world, just like AC Milan sadly did.

Why are Barcelona in that same category? Because of their La Masia golden generation with Messi, Xavi, Iniesta, etc. and what they achieved from the mid-to-late 2000s until around 2015. They would still be a big club if that never happened, as they had multiple Ballon d'Or winners play for them before those ultra successful years as well, and they were a CL winning club before too, and every now and then they won a few La Liga titles in the 2000s, 90s and 80s as well. The rivalry with Real Madrid also helps, as does being located in sunny Spain...but they wouldn't be what they are today without those 9 years from 2006 to 2015.

So, overall, Madrid and Barcelona will likely be the top 2 for decades to come, unless something goes really bad for one of them. They'll always be able to attract the best players in the world, Barcelona will always produce world class talent, both teams will have all-timer players play for them in the next decades, as it has been the case since forever, basically.

However, I feel like we are the best suited club to rival their greatness. Even in these last 11 years, we've maintained everything I bolded in my first paragraph, except success on the pitch. Imagine when that comes.
 
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RedChisel

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What are those putting Liverpool ahead of United basing this on? Because they've won more than United in the last 10 years? In no universe are Liverpool a bigger club than United.
 

Borys

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We would be tier 1 with Madrid and a couple other clubs if you ignore "international trophies" ranking. But if you take this under account we're probably between Ajax and Liverpool/Milan.
I'd be more interested in non united fans answers on this. Curious to see where they see United
Indeed. I always thought clubs that were dominant on international stage were more highly rated by random fans. We've managed to get 3 CL trophies, and 2 of those we got barely, while Madrid was cruising in the last decade, and before that Barca dominated us and everyone else.
 

Rojofiam

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What are those putting Liverpool ahead of United basing this on? Because they've won more than United in the last 10 years? In no universe are Liverpool a bigger club than United.
Their only argument can be the CL titles, but 4 of their 6 titles were won in the Stone Age. As harsh as that sounds, recent success is very important. 1 PL titles in 34 years, and 2 CL titles in 40 years. Just look at their wage bill compared to their PL rivals, or their financial strength in the transfer market. Historically they are up there, but in every other aspect they are no different to clubs like Chelsea, City or Arsenal.
 

Botim

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Here's a somewhat mathematical approach:

1) Most fans

Social media (Insta, facebook, X, twitter)


1. Real
2. Barca
3. United
4. PSG
5. Juve
6. City
7. Chelsea
8. Liverpool
9. Bayern
10. Arsenal

Attendance

1. Dortmund
2. Bayern
3. United
4. Inter
5. Milan
6. Real
7. AS Roma
8. Tottenham
9. Arsenal
10. West Ham

Shirt sales

1. Barca
2. Real
3. Liverpool
4. Bayern
5. United
6. PSG
7. Arsenal
8. Chelsea
9. Juve
10. Tottenham

2) Most trophies

Domestic titles (in the top 5 leagues)

1. Juve
2. Real
3. Bayern
4. Barca
5. United
6. Liverpool
7. Milan
Inter
Arsenal
10. Atletico

UCL titles


1. Real
2. Milan
3. Liverpool
4. Bayern
5. Barca
6. Ajax
7. United
8. Inter
9. Chelsea
10. Juve

3) Club value

(according to Forbes)

1. Real
2. United
3. Barca
4. Liverpool
5. City
6. Bayern
7. PSG
8. Chelsea
9. Tottenham
10. Arsenal

RANKING

This adds up to this top 5:

1. Real
2. Barca
3. United
4. Bayern
5. Liverpool
(6. Milan, Juve)

What do we think? Seems reasonable to me...