The top 50 most valuable football club brands in the world in 2016 revealed

Speaking on the occasion of West Ham’s first Premier League match at the Olympic Stadium, the club’s vice-chairman Karren Brady declared her satisfaction that the Hammers have been named “as one of the top 15 brands in world football”.

She was referring to the 10th annual Brand Finance Football 50, which lists the most valuable club brands in world football in 2016.

Branding consultants Brand Finance calculated the values of football club brands by estimating “what the owner would have to pay for the use of the brand if it were not already owned.”

This involves calculating the strength of a brand, based on a club’s ability to drum up popular interest and convert it into support and custom – brand investment, emotional connection and commercial performance. as translated into matchday, broadcasting and commercial revenue.

After much calculation, a net brand value is then arrived at.

And you can see the results in the slideshow countdown above.

50 50. Watford make the top 50 with a 2016 brand value of £61m. Find out which clubs make up the top 50 most valuable football club brands in the world, and where your team ranks, by clicking the arrow above to begin the countdown to number one! – Two non-top flight clubs make the top 50, as do the Hornets, who kick off our countdown of the most valuable brands in world football. The presence of Watford demonstrates the Premier League's power  take a look at the full top 50 list by clicking the arrow above, right, and see below for an explanation of how the Brand Finance Football 50 is compiled.

50 49. FSV Mainz 05 – brand value = £63m

50 48. Valencia – brand value = £63m – Please note: figures have been converted from dollars by Brand Finance, hence some clubs having the same sterling brand value but being separated in placing.

50 47. Benfica – brand value = £64m

50 46. Stuttgart – brand value = £64m

50 45. Fenerbahche – brand value = £64m

50 44. PSV Eindhoven – brand value = £65m

50 43. Villarreal – brand value = £75m

50 42. Werder Bremen – brand value = £75m

50 41. Aston Villa – brand value = £75m – Brand Finance say: "Villa's brand value plummeted by 29% thanks to relegation from the Premier League."

50 40. Sevilla – brand value = £78m

50 39. Galatasaray – brand value = £79m

50 38. Ajax – brand value = £79m

50 37. Napoli – brand value = £80m

50 36. Wolfsburg – brand value = £80m

50 35. Athletic Bilbao – brand value = £83m

50 34. Hertha Berlin – brand value = £83m

50 33. Monaco – brand value = £84m

50 32. Newcastle United – brand value = £87m – Brand Finance say: "Newcastle's brand value dropped by 17% due to relegation from the Premier League, but along with Aston Villa they are the only non-top flight clubs to feature in the top 50."

50 31. Marseille – brand value = £87m

50 30. Roma – brand value = £89m

50 29. Lyon – brand value = £94m

50 28. Inter – brand value = £102m

50 27. Hamburg – brand value = £103m

50 26. Borussia Mönchengladbach – brand value = £117m – Brand Finance say: "Borussia Mönchengladbach has been a revelation over the past two seasons. While Bayern Munich remain Germanys preeminent footballing force, Mönchengladbach have had greater success relatively speaking. Under Lucien Favre, the Foals qualified for the 2015/16 Champions League season and new manager Andre Schubert will achieve the same feat if Borussia can progress through the qualifying round. These strong performances have helped make Borussia the second fastest growing club this year, with brand value rising 101%."

50 25. Swansea City – brand value = £119m

50 24. Bayer Leverkusen – brand value = £119m

50 23. Crystal Palace – brand value = £119m

50 22. Sunderland – brand value = £122m

50 21. West Bromwich Albion – brand value = £125m

50 20. AC Milan – brand value = £141m

50 19. Stoke City – brand value = £144m

50 18. Schalke – brand value = £151m

50 17. Southampton – brand value = £151m

50 16. Leicester City – brand value = £160m – Brand Finance say: "Leicester's brand strength has risen by an unprecedented 13 points following their captivating story and new-found reputation as both a UK and European heavyweight. This, combined with the likelihood of significantly improved revenues in the coming years has made it the fastest growing football brand of 2016."

50 15. Atletico Madrid – brand value = £180m – Brand Finance say: "Atléticos consistent performances under Diego Simeone, in both La Liga and the Champions League have certainly played a part in its brand performance. Further boosts are provided by a new 70,000 seater stadium, ready for the 2017/18 season, which will see matchday revenue significantly improve."

50 14. West Ham United – brand value = £186m

50 13. Everton – brand value = £189m

50 12. Borussia Dortmund – brand value = £190m

50 11. Juventus – brand value = £194m

50 10. Tottenham Hotspur – brand value = £299m – Brand Finance say: "A new 61,000 capacity renovation of White Hart Lane will be ready for the 2018/19 season and could act as the symbol for a new successful era at the club."

50 9. Liverpool – brand value = £507m – Brand Finance say: "Liverpool retains its considerable brand strength built through years of success and a passionate and sizeable global fan base."

50 8. Chelsea – brand value = £525m – Brand Finance say: "Chelseas commercial power continues to grow. Its £40 million-a-year deal with tyre company, Yokohama, was surpassed by a huge new £60 million-a-year kit deal with Nike that will come in for the 2017/18 season and see Adidas dropped as technical sponsor. "

50 7. Paris Saint-Germain – brand value = £536m – Brand Finance say: "Similarly to Bayern Munich, PSG are in some ways handicapped by its domestic dominance. Whilst Champions League football is as good as guaranteed, which makes them attractive to potential commercial partners, the lack of competition in Ligue 1 stifles the growth of the league. Consequently, it will be difficult for PSG to grow broadcasting revenues and sponsorship deals in line with those enjoyed by the top English and Spanish sides."

50 6. Arsenal – brand value = £581m – Brand Finance say: "While Arsenal have an impressive global fan base, its inferiority in terms of attracting the biggest sponsorship deals is probably a by-product of its inability to win any of the top honours in recent years and a reputation as nearly men."

50 5. Bayern Munich – brand value = £587m – Brand Finance say: "The Bavarians have lucrative long-term deals in place with German brands Audi, Allianz, Adidas and Deutsche-Telecom whereas many of its European rivals have deals with Asian or North American brands which helps them grow their profiles abroad."

50 4. Manchester City – brand value = £613m – Brand Finance say: "The uncertainty regarding playing staff has not prevented a steady rise in brand value to $905 (£613m) million as City continue to benefit from its position as the flagship brand in the group of clubs which form City Football Group (CFG). This international, multi-club structure allows the City brand to be leveraged across the globe whilst simultaneously benefiting from synergies through association with its regional partners."

50 3. Barcelona – brand value = £672m – Brand Finance say: "[Barcelona are] closing the gap with rivals Real Madrid in terms of leveraging its high brand strength and is on the brink of signing a world record technical sponsorship deal with Nike, worth a reported 150 million per season for the next ten seasons."

50 2. Real Madrid – brand value = £778m – Brand Finance say: "Despite success both on and off the pitch, Real marginally trail Manchester United in brand value because of the new EPL deal and Uniteds unrivalled commercial success in the enormous Asian market."