They may be playing catch up in the Premier League but Manchester United have retained their title as the world’s most popular football club based on sales of replica kits.
The Red Devils have sold an average of 1.75million a year in the five-season period between 2011 and 2016, according to research from industry insider Dr Peter Rohlmann and his team at PR Marketing.
Jose Mourinho’s side signed a record-breaking £75m-a-year deal with German sportswear giants adidas in 2015.
That deal helped them eclipse Real Madrid in second place, with Zinedine Zidane’s side selling around 100,000 fewer shirts.
Barcelona, Bayern Munich and Chelsea make up the rest of the top five with Premier League rivals Liverpool in sixth.
Average shirt sales per year between 2011-12 to 2015-16
1)Manchester United 1.75m
2)Real Madrid 1.65m
3)Barcelona 1.27m
4)Bayern Munich 1.2m
5)Chelsea 899,000
6)Liverpool 852,000
7)Arsenal 835,000
8)PSG 526,000
9)Juventus 452,000
10)Dortmund 393,000
A study last week revealed that United stars Paul Pogba and Zlatan Ibrahimovic occupied the top two spots of Premier League shirt sales, with team-mates Marcus Rashford and David De Gea making the top 10.
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