Milan have been ranked the fastest-growing football club brand in the world since 2021, according to the Brand Finance Football 50 2026 report published this morning, with the Rossoneri's brand value rising 236% over that period.
Serie A clubs earn far less from broadcasting than their Premier League counterparts, so commercial strength and brand value carry more of the financial load in Italy. For a club rebuilding under RedBird while keeping a close eye on the books, that growth is the kind of off-pitch number that shapes what is possible on the pitch.
The 236% jump between 2021 and 2026 puts Milan ahead of Aston Villa, Porto, Bayer Leverkusen and Arsenal on that measure. Over the past year alone, the club recorded a 28% increase in brand value, enough to climb from 16th to 14th globally, breaking into the top 15 and moving past Juventus in the process.
The headline figure is the €514m valuation, a new all-time high for the club and the first time Milan have crossed the €500m mark. Twelve months ago they sat as the lowest-valued of Italy's traditional big three, so overtaking Juventus marks a clear shift in that pecking order.
The broader picture for Italian football is less encouraging, and Brand Finance's valuation director Lorenzo Coruzzi laid it out a year ago. "Italian football is undergoing a profound transformation, both on and off the field. Serie A, one of Europe's most prestigious leagues, stands out for its historic legacy, but faces a crucial challenge," he said.
"It is the only one of Europe's top five leagues without a football brand valued at more than €1 billion. This is a clear sign of the need to strengthen commercial competitiveness."
Coruzzi also tied the league's standing to the national team's struggles. "Italy's performance profoundly impacts the entire football ecosystem. The team's failure to qualify for the World Cup and elimination in the round of 16 of Euro 2024 have dampened fan optimism."
Milan remain some way short of that €1 billion barrier, but they are now the club dragging the Italian numbers upward faster than anyone else. In a league where commercial revenue does more of the heavy lifting than elsewhere, being the continent's quickest riser is money that eventually finds its way into the mercato.