Former Manchester United commercial chief Mike Farnan believes Atletico Madrid have the potential to compete with the world's biggest clubs as a 'brand'.
Farnan helped establish United's success in Asia and also worked with Atletico for a period in a similar capacity.
Now part of FC New York's board in the USA, Farnan says there is no doubting the building blocks are in place for Atletico to take the next step as a global power. He told Simon Williams of tribalfootball.com: "Atletico Madrid has a fantastic stadium there in the Calderon, a great owner, great passion and certain things like hospitality things, like merchandising, still have room for growth.
"That's what I certainly felt then and I certainly feel now."
Farnan also worked with Parma in Italy and feels in both Italy and Spain they need to improve the stadium experience for fans if they're to match the commercial powerhouse that is England's Premier League.
He added: "They are two tremendous footballing markets, but in commercial terms I would say that the UK is far more ahead.
"Certainly, it is in terms of the way it works its stadiums - and the stadiums in Italy are municipal."
