Leo Messi. PHOTO: loaned

Leo Messi has been proclaimed, for the fourth consecutive season, the most media-worthy footballer in the world. With 28.8 points of media value, the Argentine player of FC Barcelona is placed above Cristiano Ronaldo, who gets 20.7 points. These are the results of the seventh annual report of the media value of soccer, prepared by the professor of Economics Francesc Pujol, from the Center for Media, Reputation and Intangibles of the University of Navarra.

Once again, the two big stars of La Liga have captured the world's media attention. Thus, the third most mediatized footballer, Chelsea's Drogba, is eight points behind the second-placed player. According to Professor Francesc Pujol, "quantitatively determining who generates the most media interest is not just a matter of pride for the clubs and their supporters, since in the last four seasons the world's most popular player received the FIFA Ballon d'Or award award ".

The media value is calculated by the press appearances of the players of the five major European leagues and the teams participating in the Champions League throughout the season. The 28.8 points obtained by Leo Messi means that the Argentinean has appeared in the news almost 29 times more than average of the footballers who have participated in the Champions League.

The media ranking of teams is once again led by FC Barcelona, with 103 points. It is followed by Real Madrid, with 79.5 points, and third place is occupied by Chelsea, with 63 points. degree scroll 's impact in the Champions League allows it to move from sixth to third place worldwide.

Excellent city and country brand ambassadors

Francesc Pujol.

Photo: Manuel Castells

Professor Francesc Pujol, from the University of Navarra's School of Economics, affirms that there is a continuous discussion about the role played by professional soccer in today's society, which some judge to be excessive and disproportionate."What is undeniable is that soccer is the sport that generates the greatest impact in the Spanish press and globally."

source According to report, this exhibition media is the main source of revenue generation for the clubs, but it also has positive repercussions for the cities that host them. In this sense, the teams act as ambassadors by increasing the visibility of their cities. Villarreal, a city of 48,000 inhabitants, generated press visibility equivalent to a city of 210,000 inhabitants thanks to the team it had in the First Division.

Clubs also act as international ambassadors for their cities. For example, Zaragoza, which has managed to save the category, generated 12% of the images linked to news about Zaragoza in the English-language press in 2012.

Thus, "having the two leading brands in world soccer, FC Barcelona and Real Madrid, is an excellent asset not only for the cities of Barcelona and Madrid, but also for the Spain brand," says the professor.

The analysis of news content sample that FC Barcelona and Real Madrid have an important Degree of association with emotional brand components, such as 'attractive', 'spectacular' or 'admired'. Therefore, these two teams "reinforce the value of the Spain brand in the emotional aspects, which are precisely the most valuable to increase the tourist attractiveness of a country and cities. In addition, they strengthen the value of Spanish brands linked to gastronomy, fashion and culture".

More media value, more income

The programs of study of MRI University of Navarra shows that media value is the best indicator of the commercial power of soccer brands. For example, the 20 most media-worthy footballers in the world receive very similar salaries. However, the top ten earn from average 9 million euros in contract revenue from sponsorship, while the next ten earn an average of 3.5 million.

The same is true for clubs. When teams achieve the status of global brands, merchandising revenues and sponsorship skyrocket. FC Barcelona and Real Madrid's revenues have grown since 2008, despite the framework widespread economic crisis. FC Barcelona's revenues have grown from €290 million in June 2007 to an expected €461 million in June 2012, which is an increase of 58%. For Real Madrid, revenues have risen from 351 million to 491 million, an increase of 40%. On the other hand, Manchester United, which was the world media reference in 2007, has increased its revenues in this period by only 18%.