Despite the loss of marketing icon David Beckham, Real Madrid still has the highest commercial value of any European soccer club, according to BBDO. The Spanish champion's brand was valued at $1.53 billion by the global marketing services firm, a unit of the world's largest advertising agency, Omnicom, Inc.

Real's La Liga rival, Barcelona, was ranked second in BBDO's list of the 25 most valuable European soccer clubs, at $1.32 billion followed by English champ Manchester United, $1.29 billion, Chelsea, $1.16 billion, and European champion AC Milan, $1.15 billion.

BBDO said that Real has built its brand value through a combination of lucrative sponsorships and worldwide tours. The nine-time European champion is also the world's richest club by revenue, generating $490 million for the year ending June 30. BBDO claims that its rankings help companies interested in advertising assess the marketing potential of buying a sponsorship with the club; the advertising firm makes its assessment based on brand popularity, image and sources of business income. For the full list of clubs

Read the original story...