Manchester United Football Club, the team of Korean striker Park Ji-sung, has been valued at about W1.31 trillion(US$1=W939) by the U.S. business publication Forbes. According to a report from local think tank Samsung Economic Research Institute, Manchester United has gone beyond being a leading football club with an enormous fan base, and is now a global brand and a top-notch corporation.

The institute listed the football team's success secrets. First, Manchester United tries to secure as many outstanding star players as possible. It focuses on recruiting and developing talented footballers, including nurturing young players through its youth team.

Manchester United players are loyal to the team and proud of playing for it, since 70 percent of them came to the team through joining the youth club. Even David Beckham, who left Manchester United for Spanish side Real Madrid in 2003 after a dispute with the team's manager, said he felt he would return to the British team someday.

The second secret is the team’s various brand strategies. Based on the principle that people form their opinions of brands before the age of 10, the football club recently introduced the comic character “Fred the Red” as its mascot.

The third key is that the team derives revenue through various sources in addition to income from matches. It makes money from selling game broadcast rights and team-branded products, and through sponsors. Its home stadium Old Trafford is like a theme park with a museum, café and shops.

With an increasingly global reach, the team scouts its players strategically. Capability is not the only factor it looks for when selecting team members. For example, the team hired China’s striker Dong Fangzhuo to lure Chinese fans.

(englishnews@chosun.com )