Barca confident of overhauling Real in soccer rich list

MADRID, Aug 7 (Reuters) Spanish and European champions Barcelona believe that they are on course to displace arch-rivals Real Madrid as the top-earning club in world football.

''Right now Barca is the number one team and that is the way we are treated across the globe,'' the club's director of marketing Esteve Calzada told daily Sport today.

''Barca is the leading brand in world football and our rate of growth is faster than anyone else.'' The Catalan club were positioned in sixth place in the rich list of the world's top sides compiled by consultants Deloitte in February.

Real Madrid topped the rankings ahead of former leaders Manchester United, AC Milan, Juventus and Chelsea.

Since then Barca, whose squad includes World Player of the year Ronaldinho, Samuel Eto'o, Deco and Lionel Messi, have retained their Spanish title and won the Champions League while Real ended a third successive season without a major trophy.

Barca are in the middle of a promotional tour of Mexico and the United States where they have drawn huge crowds for their matches against Club Tigres and Chivas Guadalajara.

Calzada said that the interest generated by the tour was far greater than whey they visited North America for the first time in 2003.

''Three years ago the fans came to the stadiums to see our opponents ... now it is us who are filling the stadiums.

''In Los Angeles (for the game against Chivas) 90,000 tickets were sold, a record for a friendly match and for each of the next two games we have already sold 50,000 tickets.'' Last week Barca signed an agreement with communications and entertainment giants Warner Bros. to promote, distribute and sell club-branded merchandise throughout the Americas.

They have also concluded a series of deals with businesses in Japan, China and Singapore in an bid to expand their presence in the lucrative Far Eastern market.

Calzada claimed that Barca's entertaining style of football was one of the reasons why they were more popular than English champions Chelsea.'' ''Having a product that is attractive is important,'' he said.

''Chelsea win but they don't excite the fans.'' REUTERS AY ND1844