Manchester United most popular European club in China

Alexis Sanchez of Manchester United with the ball during the Premier League match between Tottenham Hotspur and Manchester United at Wembley Stadium, London, England on January 31, 2018. [File Photo: IC]

The most popular European football teams in China, in terms of their social media followings, have been revealed.

The 'Red Card 2018' is a recognised annual survey of football clubs' digital success in China.

It takes into account a wide variety of metrics, including the number of followers that each club has on WeChat and Weibo, video engagements, mentions and likes.

Top of the league for 2018 is... Manchester United.

Real Madrid were in second position, with FC Bayern in third, Arsenal in fourth and Liverpool in fifth.

Despite the high number of British clubs in the Red Card table, the Premier League wasn't found to be the most influential European division on social media in China.

That honor went to the Bundesliga, with the Premier League in second and La Liga in third.

The survey didn't just study clubs, however. There was also a detailed account of the Chinese social media presence of a number of international players.

On that front, the winner was Lionel Messi, who accumulated more than 1 million new Chinese followers over 2017.

Apparently, follower numbers for all European players in China grew by 44 percent over the year, with Cristiano Ronaldo taking second place in the player category, and Anthony Martial coming third.