LONDON (Reuters) – The rivalry between English soccer giants Manchester United and Liverpool has spilled over into the boardroom with both U.S.-owned clubs signalling they are seeking fresh investment and willing to listen to potential bidders.
Both based in cities in northwest England, United have won the English league title 20 times, one more than Liverpool. But the two clubs have been eclipsed domestically by Abu Dhabi-backed Manchester City in recent seasons.
Here’s the scorecard for the two rivals:
FORBES VALUATION
Man Utd: world’s 3rd most valuable club worth $4.6 billion
Liverpool: ranked 4th in the world worth $4.45 billion
ANNUAL REVENUE
Man Utd (June 30, 2022): 583 million pounds ($698 million)
Man Utd (June 30, 2021): 494 million pounds
Liverpool (May 31, 2021): 487 million pounds
MEDIA REVENUE (TV rights to games)
Man Utd (June 30, 2022): 215 million pounds
Man Utd (June 30, 2021): 254 million pounds
Liverpool (May 31, 2021): 266 million pounds
COMMERCIAL REVENUE (including sponsorship and retail, merchandising, apparel and product licensing)
Man Utd (June 30, 2022): 258 million pounds
Man Utd (June 30, 2021): 232 million pounds
Liverpool (May 31, 2021): 217.6 million pounds
ANNUAL MATCH DAY REVENUE (ticket sales):
Man Utd (June 30, 2022): 110 million pounds
Man Utd (June 30, 2021): 7 million pounds*
Liverpool (May 31, 2021): 3.6 mln pounds*
* Match day revenues were affected by COVID restrictions in the 2020/2021 season when stadiums were closed for long periods.
CORE EARNINGS
Man Utd: adjusted EBITDA 81.15 million pounds (2021-22)
Man Utd: adjusted EBITDA 95 million pounds (2020-21)
Liverpool: operating loss of 40.39 million pounds (2020-21)
PROFIT/LOSS
Man Utd: Loss of 115 million pounds (2021-22)
Man Utd: Loss of 92 million pounds (2020-21)
Liverpool: Loss of 9.5 million pounds (2020-21)
DEBT *
Man Utd: 424 million pounds
Liverpool: 232 million pound
* According to Annual Review of Football Finance 2022 by Deloitte
STADIUM CAPACITY
Man Utd: (Old Trafford) 74,240 spectators
Liverpool (Anfield): 61,000 people (when expansion is completed in 2023)
FAN BASE (total following on social media platforms including Twitter, Instagram and Facebook)
Man Utd: 173.6 million
Liverpool: 107.5 million
STAR PLAYERS
Man Utd have just lost their highest-paid player, Cristiano Ronaldo, the forward who earned more than 500,000 pounds a week. Goalkeeper David De Gea now tops the wages list.
Liverpool’s star player is Mohamed Salah, the Egyptian forward who joined from AS Roma for a reported 34 million euros ($35 million) in 2017 and is contracted to 2025. He reportedly is on more than 350,000 pounds a week.
WAGES AND EMPLOYEE BENEFITS:
Man Utd: 384.1 million pounds (June 30, 2022)
Man Utd: 322.6 million pounds (June 30, 2021)
Liverpool: 314.3 million pounds (May 31, 2021)
($1 = 0.9685 euros)
($1 = 0.8358 pounds)
(Reporting by Andres Gonzalez Estebaran; Additional reporting by Alan Baldwin and Keith Weir; Editing by Josephine Mason and Mark Potter)
