Football clubs are some of the biggest brands in the world these days, and GOAL brings you the top 10 most searched football clubs in 2021.
The year 2023 was monumental in football due to several iconic events. Cristiano Ronaldo broke ties with Manchester United to join Al-Nassr and kick off a Saudi Pro League "All-Stars" frenzy, eight-time Ballon d'Or winner Lionel Messi surprised everyone by moving to David Beckham's Major League Soccer franchise Inter Miami on the back of lifting the 2022 World Cup and solidifying his GOAT status, Manchester City winning the treble and more.
Needless to say, football teams were googled heavily across the calendar year. People across the globe search for football teams to keep track of their results, position in respective league tables, and the high-profile transfers in the football world.
If you're anything crazy like us, you might have wondered which clubs occupy football fans’ search engines the most. If yes, then you are in the right place to find it out. Here at GOAL, we present you with the list of the top 10 searched football clubs on Google.
LaLigaReal Madrid | 44.5 million average monthly searches
With Real Madrid winning the Champions League, La Liga, and the Spanish Super Cup in 2021-22, the bar was set extremely high for the 2022-23 campaign.
Although they ended the season with three trophies, securing the Copa del Rey, UEFA Super Cup and FIFA Club World Cup, it wasn't quite the campaign that Carlo Ancelotti's side would have hoped for, finishing second in the La Liga table, second in the Spanish Super Cup and were eliminated in the semi-finals of the Champions League.
However, they have bounced back impressively in the new season, and there is no reason why they cannot again be major contenders for the biggest prizes despite enduring a full-blown injury crisis in the defensive department.
In what was supposed to be a difficult season for Los Blancos, with Karim Benzema gone and no Kylian Mbappe to replace him, summer recruit Jude Bellingham has stepped up, and taken the football world by storm, while Vinicius Jr. has continued his fine form.
AdvertisementGetty ImagesManchester United | 33.8 million average monthly searches
The Red Devils showed great promise in the first season of Erik ten Hag’s leadership, finishing third in the Premier League, winning the Carabao Cup (their first piece of silverware in more than half a decade), whilst also reaching the FA Cup final.
But the 2023/24 campaign has so far proved a major step backwards, with Manchester United seemingly lurching from one crisis to another and seeing a number of their top stars failing to perform. They look like a team lacking identity, while eyebrows have been raised about Ten Hag's questionable man management and transfer policy.
Now with the club’s new investor – the British billionaire Sir Jim Ratcliffe – taking over the charge of all operations, including transfer dealings at Old Trafford, it seems the club are gearing up for a complete top-to-bottom overhaul in the next year.
getty imagesGalatasaray | 32.4 million average monthly searches
Back-to-back Süper Lig titles in 2018 and 2019 saw Galatasaray return to the top of Turkish football after a three-season title drought. However, another three years without a title followed, and the second most successful club in Turkish football history fell off dramatically, with their 13th place finish in 2021-22 their lowest ever across any Turkish top-flight campaign.
Enter, Okan Buruk. And the man has well-and-truly transformed their fortunes. They went onto have an absolutely incredible season in 2022-23 and managed to win the league title against all odds.
Gala supporters love nothing more than witnessing eye-catching dribbles, free-flowing football, and sensational goals. Recent seasons had been short on this, however. In that respect, 2023 is a return to form for the entire league, with flashy, silky players such as Wilfried Zaha, Hakim Ziyech, and goal-machine Mauro Icardi arriving at the club.
The Turkish giants are also notorious for their hostile treatment of visitors to RAMS Park, and a return to European football has been a treat to watch. Their Ultras never disappoint with their atmosphere, and Tifos, which have another level of popularity all over the world; you might have come across the huge "Welcome To Hell" sign on the internet ahead of their Champions League clash against Man United.
(C)Getty ImagesManchester City | 29.3 million average monthly searches
Manchester City were the centre of attention of the football world in 2023, and for good reason— they enjoyed the most successful season in their history. They won the Premier League. They won the FA Cup. They, at last, won the Champions League.
It finally all came together for the Citizens, who for long stretches of the season looked as if they wouldn't add anything to their trophy cabinet racked up in recent years. Talismanic striker Erling Haaland steamrolled his way through English football, and broke all sorts of goal-scoring records to power Pep Guardiola's side to a historic treble.
But there was another tale of the medal around the necks at the Etihad. The Premier League champions were hit with 115 charges of breaching financial rules, and refused to cooperate with the investigations.
They weren't just dominating the pitch; they were ruling the bank. They topped the Deloitte Football Money League, claiming the title of the football club with the most revenue worldwide, with a staggering $808.1 million (€731m) in the treasury. Forbes also chipped in, ranking them to be the world's sixth-most valuable club, at $4.500 billion (€4bn).
Although they have looked a tad bid complacent at the start of the 2023-24 season, expect them to storm back into contention for nearly every club-level top honour by the end of the campaign.
