Real Madrid make world-first move in bid to break clear of Manchester United

While competitive success may have alluded Manchester United over the past decade or so to the level that was delivered under Sir Alex Ferguson, the club’s might on the global stage has barely diminished.

Despite the tumult and comparative struggles on the pitch when compared with years past, United have managed to maintain their strength when it comes to the impact of the brand around the world, and that has been very lucrative.

The Forbes 2024 list of the most valuable football teams in the world had United in second, with revenues of $785m, operating income of $187m, and a club value of $6.55bn. Only Real Madrid are above them, with a value of $6.6bn and revenues, as of the reporting period, of $873m. The Spanish giants are anticipated to push past the $1bn mark for revenues by the time their next set of accounts are released.

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Those figures are stark when compared against those further down the list, with Barcelona a whole $1bn behind in terms of club value in fourth, and Liverpool just behind them in fifth.

While the hiring of Ruben Amorim as head coach gives hope that the club will be able to turn a corner competitively, there is much work to be done by the man with the oversight of football and strategic matters at Old Trafford, Sir Jim Ratcliffe. The biggest call will be what happens in terms of a new stadium, with rivals such as Real Madrid having already made moves long ago to address their need to have a stadium fit for a club that can maximise commercial opportunities in the modern game. Huge sums of money were spent revamping the Santiago Bernabeu.

Now, Real