Whether or not that report is true, what is certain is that Manchester United stopped being just a famous football team several years ago and became a highly successful multinational corporation. The word “football” and “club” were officially dropped from the players’ badges in 200 in an effort to strengthen corporate image. With a successful stock market flotation in 1991 and a current market value of over $1.4 billion, Manchester United is as much a triumph of the media as of great soccer.