Manchester United were the most popular football club in the world, not just in the United Kingdom. But that spot has been snatched by their bitter rivals, Liverpool, after 26 years of Sir Alex Ferguson’s reputation.
Liverpool, the 19-time Premier League champions have attracted at least 10,000 fans from every corner of the world in recent times, but Manchester United is still regarded as the pride of England.
Manchester United is the football club with the highest number of social media followers. Since 2019, the club has been rated by fans in the US as a big team but has fallen below the level of Liverpool after a series of poor performances over the last two years.
Manchester United’s decline in popularity has also been coupled with a failure to win the Premier League since 2012 and being trophy-less since 2017 even with the constant change of managers.
A recent survey showed Liverpool to be slightly more popular than the Red Devils. According to the Daily Mail UK, Liverpool received 61% of the vote, with Manchester United receiving 60%.
Premier League champions Manchester City, Arsenal, and Chelsea made the top 5 on the list. Newcastle replaced Tottenham for the 6th position after a change of owners. Tottenham and Southampton occupied the 7th and 8th spots respectively.
Liverpool and Chelsea are the only teams with American owners in the top 6.
Liverpool last season won the two domestic cups and ended in second place on the Premier League table, qualifying for the Champions League final, where they narrowly lost to Real Madrid.
The Reds’ trophy-winning charge, led by manager Jurgen Klopp and Mohamed Salah, has seen them add a Premier League, Champions League, FA Cup, League Cup, and FIFA Club World Cup to their trophies cabinet, which has increased the club’s popularity.
Chelsea’s popularity was boosted by the change of ownership from Abramovich to Todd Boehly. It is now a well-known club on the west coast of the country.
Both Chelsea and Arsenal participated in the US tour for the pre-season matches, which was promoted by NBC News. The Gunners are hoping that they will increase their popularity if they qualify for the Champions League competition next season.
Brighton found themselves at the bottom of the list even after recording huge success last season.
Out of the three sides that gained promotion, Fulham topped the list with 34%, compared to the 32% and 30% of Nottingham Forest and Bournemouth, respectively.
Manchester United and Liverpool continue their Premier League campaign this week as they hope to drop behind their staggering performances. Manchester United lost to Brighton last week and Liverpool played a 2-2 draw with newcomers, Fulham.
Winning this week is very important for both teams to get momentum for other matches this season. However, Liverpool injury crises is a worrisome run for Klopp and the fans.
