Fandom 250: Real Madrid fans named best in soccer
By Mike Dyce
Real Madrid’s fans were ranked atop the soccer category in this year’s Fandom 250, the ultimate ranking of fanbases worldwide.
Every year, the Fandom 250 seeks to rank the best fanbases in the world. Not only does this include sports franchises, movies and television shows, but the individual actors and athletes.
This year, the winner of the Fandom 250 soccer category are the fans of Real Madrid. The Santiago Bernabéu faithful ranked 28th overall on the full Fandom 250.
All in all, two teams from La Liga made it on the list. Barcelona ranked second in the category. Three Premier League teams, one Bundesliga team and one Major League Soccer team made the list.
Why Real Madrid fans?
If this list focused on a purely worldwide point of view, Real Madrid would have an almost undeniable claim to the top spot on the overall list. Our list puts more of an emphasis on fanbases in the United States and Real Madrid’s fans still couldn’t be denied.
A quick look at the numbers indicates the size of Real Madrid’s international fanbase. 106 million likes on Facebook. Another 27.9 million on their main Twitter account, and millions more on accounts in different languages.
Star player Cristiano Ronaldo is one of the most recognizable athletes on the planet with his own massive following. 122 million on Facebook, 117 million on Instagram and 65.9 million on Twitter.
In the past 17 seasons, Real Madrid has visited the United States 11 times in an effort to build their fanbases, including the 2017 International Champions Cup. In three games, Real Madrid drew nearly 225,000 fans, including a sellout crowd of over 93,000 at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. In 2014, Real Madrid set an American soccer attendance record with 109,000 fans when Los Blancos played Manchester United at Michigan Stadium.
And the buzz is at an all-time high for Real Madrid. In 2017, Real Madrid won La Liga, Champions League (for the second consecutive year), Supercopa de España and UEFA Super Cup. Not to mention Ronaldo winning his fifth Ballon d’Or, tying him for the record for most all-time.
Related Story: Fandom 250: Full ranking of 250 fanbases
Full Category List:
- Real Madrid – La Liga
- Barcelona – La Liga
- Manchester United – Premier League
- Liverpool – Premier League
- Arsenal – Premier League
- Borussia Dortmund – Bundesliga
- Portland Timbers – MLS
- US Women’s Soccer – International
To see where these eight soccer fanbases rank amongst the other fandoms on the list, check out the full Fandom 250 list.
What is the FanSided Fandom 250?
The Fandom 250 is the ultimate ranking of fandoms. From sports teams and movie franchises to Instagram celebrities and brands, if something has an avid, sometimes rabid, fanbase, FanSided wants to honor those fans and — in the spirit of healthy competition — rank ‘em.
The Fandom 250 is divided into 16 categories: NBA, MLB, NFL, NHL, Soccer, NCAA, Sports Figures, Celebrities, Music, Movies, TV Shows, Comics, Gaming, Brands, Internet Famous and Other. All 250 qualifying fandoms will be ranked both within their categories and against the field, so fans can see how the object of their devotion stacks up against its peers and in the fan landscape at large.