Who do you think is the world's biggest club?

Criteria needs setting first.

The 'biggest club' has to have the best mean
1. support /average attendance/ fan base
2. ground
3. financial muscle
4. honours won / tradition
5. x-factor magic

Based on the above, I'd say the top group would consist of first Real, Milan, Barcelona, followed by united and bayern.

Liverpool fail on points 2 and 3 and to a lesser degree 1. Juve fail on 1 and 2 although like Celtic they do have a huge expat following.

Real Madrid. End of discussion.

£#%&! barcelona and its "more than a club" %@#$&!s. three games to go, joint top in a three way title tussle and what was the attendance on the weekend? 60 odd thousand. part time @#%&!s.

Juve struggle to fill their stadium. That's got to knock them down a notch or two.

River have 32 league titles to Boca's 22. Boca have a bigger worldwide fanbase though, because of Diego.

Originally Posted by The Watcher

They've reached 5 European Cup finals, winning two of them. Not to mention having won every European trophy. Not a bad European record at all and certainly alot better then ours.

Cruyff, Maradona, the Dream Team and the Camp Nou are just four reasons why Barca are one of the biggest clubs in the world.

They where seen as Europe's habitual under achievers up until last seasons Champions League win, when you look at the players you named you have to ask why they have failed to dominate in Europe (European Cup).

Their fan base isn't astronomical like Real's, ours and the scouse @#%&!s either.

Originally Posted by poppy

It's easy to define who's the biggest club.

They sell the most shirts.

Simple.

In that case, Deportivo £#%&!a are in the top 20 biggest clubs in the world then.

We're the biggest brand

We're not the biggest club.

It's a shame really.

Very good thread. You could be here all night trying to define what makes a big club and who is the biggest, you could start with "but they have...." "but they have done....". IMO, the biggest clubs just have something about them, and we're right up there with Real Madrid. Barca, Milan and Juve would make up my top 5.

There's just something about Manchester United, Barca, Milan, Real Madrid and Juve when you say their names. They have/had the players that people remember and shout when they're playing with their mates, a certain prestige.

I'm not wanting to sound bitter, but Liverpool just do not have that.

Originally Posted by MUFC One Love

Very good thread. You could be here all night trying to define what makes a big club and who is the biggest, you could start with "but they have...." "but they have done....". IMO, the biggest clubs just have something about them, and we're right up there with Real Madrid. Barca, Milan and Juve would make up my top 5.

There's just something about Manchester United, Barca, Milan, Real Madrid and Juve when you say their names. They have/had the players that people remember and shout when they're playing with their mates, a certain prestige.

I'm not wanting to sound bitter, but Liverpool just do not have that.

I agree with idea that the big clubs have a certain aura, like us, Juve, Milan etc.

But come on lads, you have to admit, that special something is present in Liverpool FC as well whether we like it or not.

Originally Posted by Cantona's collar

I know we're United fans but ffs lets not talk %@#$&!s, any list of the biggest clubs in the world must have the scouse @#%&!s quite high, its not a fact i like but it can't be denied, along with us and Madrid they are one of the top 3 clubs in the world.

Disagree strongly. A big club does not have 20-30,000 for a home Euro game. It does not make do with a 44,000 stadium for years on end.

A big club does not takeover the former stadium of it's city neighbours--that they have vacated because it's not worth the rent.

BUT, most of all, a big club would never employ Robbie Fowler.

criteria:

1. historical success
2. historical attendances
3. current success
4. current attendances
5. famous players
6. x-factor/romanticism

.....

we can more than hold our own with anyone in all but the first category. and in terms of the 'x-factor' i think us and barcelona are way out on our own. i may be biased but is the history of any other club in the world as compelling as ours? we haven't been bankrolled by shady government officials like madrid and milan, we haven't bored our way to trophies like liverpool.

Originally Posted by MUFC One Love

Very good thread. You could be here all night trying to define what makes a big club and who is the biggest, you could start with "but they have...." "but they have done....". IMO, the biggest clubs just have something about them, and we're right up there with Real Madrid. Barca, Milan and Juve would make up my top 5.

There's just something about Manchester United, Barca, Milan, Real Madrid and Juve when you say their names. They have/had the players that people remember and shout when they're playing with their mates, a certain prestige.

I'm not wanting to sound bitter, but Liverpool just do not have that.

Not for us maybe but players like Rush, Daglish, Souness and even Owen and Gerrard all fit that bill.

The fact they dominated both the English league and Europe puts the @#%&!s among Europes biggest ever clubs, im just happy the £#%&!ers are shit these days, it was murder growing up watching those @#%&!s sweep the board year in year out.

Originally Posted by Cantona's collar

Not for us maybe but players like Rush, Daglish, Souness and even Owen and Gerrard all fit that bill.

The fact they dominated both the English league and Europe puts the @#%&!s among Europes biggest ever clubs, im just happy the £#%&!ers are shit these days, it was murder growing up watching those @#%&!s sweep the board year in year out.

I'm young so don't remember their successful era, but did they play good football? I don't like Madrid but there's just something about the aura about them and their star players they have had, same with the other 3 clubs I mentioned. I think the style of football plays a bit, all of the clubs I have mentioned have had a "dream team" period where you remember certain players and how great they played as a team etc.

1.Real
2.Milan
3.Barcelona

For me.

Originally Posted by Cantona's collar

Not for us maybe but players like Rush, Daglish, Souness and even Owen and Gerrard all fit that bill.

The fact they dominated both the English league and Europe puts the @#%&!s among Europes biggest ever clubs, im just happy the £#%&!ers are shit these days, it was murder growing up watching those @#%&!s sweep the board year in year out.

I don't think it's about trophies at all. Otherwise you'd have to count in Nottingham Forest.

It's mostly about fan-base numbers. Also, maybe, potential fan-base. Livershite don't compete in that sphere.

Originally Posted by MUFC One Love

I'm young so don't remember their successful era, but did they play good football? I don't like Madrid but there's just something about the aura about them and their star players they have had, same with the other 3 clubs I mentioned. I think the style of football plays a bit, all of the clubs I have mentioned have had a "dream team" period where you remember certain players and how great they played as a team etc.

No they never played good football, they where the most boring team in the world.

I know what you mean about the aura surrounding some teams and in that sense perhaps Liverpool don't cut it (not for me anyway) but like the German national side they where always methodical and grinded out the results.

If we are going off style of football the the scouse @#%&!s come nowhere near teams like United, Madrid or Barca but then neither do any of the Italian sides.

River Plate??

Originally Posted by penguin1

I don't think it's about trophies at all. Otherwise you'd have to count in Nottingham Forest.

It's mostly about fan-base numbers. Also, maybe, potential fan-base. Livershite don't compete in that sphere.

Im not saying its just about trophys but i think they are the major factor, if we just go off fan base then the biggest teams would all be south american sides like River Plate, or even Vasco De Gamo (sp?) who get crazy attendences touching nearly 100,000.

Originally Posted by Grimson

Juve struggle to fill their stadium. That's got to knock them down a notch or two.

River have 32 league titles to Boca's 22. Boca have a bigger worldwide fanbase though, because of Diego.

I'd never have considered anyone outside Europe to be in the top 25 but that's European Arrogance for ya.

Originally Posted by Cantona's collar

Not for us maybe but players like Rush, Daglish, Souness and even Owen and Gerrard all fit that bill.

The fact they dominated both the English league and Europe puts the @#%&!s among Europes biggest ever clubs, im just happy the £#%&!ers are shit these days, it was murder growing up watching those @#%&!s sweep the board year in year out.

okay let's call that their "top 5".

does that list

rush, dalglish, souness, owen, gerrard

compare with these

best, law, charlton, robson, cantona

kocsis, cruyff, maradona, romario, figo

di stefano, puskas, kopa, zidane, raul

van basten, baresi, maldini, rivera, weah

j charles, platini, zidane, del piero, zoff