World football's top 10 brands

Bayern Munich knock Manchester United off top spot in world football's biggest brands countdown

Bayern Munich have capped a memorable season on the pitch by becoming world football's most valuable brand.

According to a new report by BrandFinance, the Bavarian giants have knocked Manchester United off top spot as the world's premier football brand following a nine per cent increase in value from 2012.

After last year's heartache in the Champions League, this season's success has boosted them up one place, with United dropping to second, Real Madrid in third, and Barcelona and Chelsea rounding out the top five.

Arsenal, Liverpool and Manchester City compromise the remaining Premier League contingent in the top 10, with AC Milan the sole Serie 'A' representative. 

Bayern Munich's beaten opponents in the Bundesliga and Champions League, Borussia Dortmund, come in at tenth place after a massive 15 per cent increase in brand value.

The Bundesliga's rise in value is reflected by the fact that Schalke and Hamburg both sit just outside the top 10 - 11th and 16th respectively.

But the collective might of the Premier League still puts its German cousin in the shadow - the English top flight worth $3.1billion compared to $1.9billion.

Part of United's two per cent fall from top spot can be attributed to their Champions League elimination at the last-16 stage to Real Madrid. The rest of the calculations are based on revenue figures, player values and UEFA coefficients.

But the strength of the Premier League is pretty clear to see - as well as five of the top 10, England also boasts Tottenham, West Ham, Newcastle, Aston Villa, Everton, Fulham and Sunderland in the top 40.

The highest valued club from outside Europe is Brazilian side Corinthians at 19th, while the highest new entry for 2013 is Galatasaray at 17th.

BrandFinance's head of sports valuation, Dave Chattaway, told the Daily Mail: "Bayern Munich is still very much a story of domestic dominance, however its continued presence in the Champions League has provided the club with access to a global audience.

"The challenge now for all Bundesliga clubs and the league itself, is to see if they can export their domestic brand strength into global opportunities."