Club source snubs Manchester United as City’s biggest commercial rivals for Premier League giant | OneFootball

Manchester City have long viewed Manchester United as their main rivals, although in the boardroom, a club source has snubbed the Old Trafford outfit.

On the pitch and among supporters, Manchester remains home to one of English football’s most intense footballing rivalries, defined by geography, history, and bragging rights across the city.

However, the rivalry landscape changes significantly away from matchdays, particularly when clubs are competing for sponsorships, global partnerships, and long-term commercial growth.

Over the past decade, Manchester City’s transformation into a global football brand has been driven by sustained success, strategic investment, and an increasingly sophisticated commercial operation.

That growth has shifted internal benchmarks, with the club now comparing itself against those operating at the very top of the Premier League’s business ecosystem rather than focusing solely on local competition.

Liverpool’s resurgence and their long-established global fanbase have placed them firmly among the league’s commercial heavyweights. Combined with strong international appeal and historic brand power, the Merseyside club has increasingly been viewed as a reference point in high-level commercial discussions involving multinational partners.

Speaking to MailSport as part of a wider piece on the Red Devils, a Manchester City club source opened up on the view of Manchester United from within the club’s business officials, and how another Premier League giant is viewed as that particular competitor.

“[Manchester] United are still our main rivals when it comes to our fans,” the source said. “But when we are in the room with companies and big business talking about commercial deals, it’s not United we worry about. It’s Liverpool. That’s the Glazer effect.”

The source continued, “When we started out after our own takeover, we looked at what United did and what they had and copied much of it. We don’t do that now.”

The comments underline how Manchester City’s commercial strategy has matured since the Abu Dhabi takeover of 2008, moving from a model of learning and replication to one focused on innovation and independent growth.

With strong revenue diversification and a widening global footprint, Manchester City now see themselves operating in a different commercial bracket.

Looking ahead, continued on-field success, expanded infrastructure projects, and digital growth are likely to further shape Manchester City’s commercial rivalries. As the Premier League’s global reach continues to expand, competition off the pitch is set to intensify, with Liverpool seemingly viewed as the benchmark City are most determined to surpass.