Manchester United to IPO Following Other European Clubs

Manchester United MANU is set to become the first football club in the world to list on the New York Stock Exchange, however, it is not the first club to go public.

Clubs from Portugal to Turkey have all turned to the capital markets hoping to capture a fan base of loyal investors. The Stoxx Europe Football Index tracks 21 publicly traded football clubs in Europe. Here are a few of the notable ones:

AFC Ajax: is the most successful club in Dutch football history and one of the most storied football clubs in all of Europe. The International Federation of Football History and Statistics (IFFHS) ranked Ajax as the seventh-most successful European club of the 20th century and it has a long history of great players and success. Ajax has won the Dutch top-flight division of football, called the Eredevisie, a staggering 31 times and the UEFA Champions League four times.

AS Roma: has loyal fans around the globe and in the capital city of Rome. The club recently played preseason matches in the U.S., including matches at Wrigley Field in Chicago and Fenway Park in Boston. Roma has won the Italian Serie A, the top-flight of football in Italy, three times and the Copa Italia a record nine times.

Borussia Dortmund: has a large, loyal fan base in northwestern Germany. The two-time defending Bundesliga champions and defending DFP Pokal champions (the German cup), Dortmund has seen a period of great success under in-demand manager Jurgen Klopp. However, the loss of Japanese playmaker Shinji Kagawa to Manchester United and the potential exit of Polish striker Robert Lewandowski to Manchester United could hurt the club's prospects in the coming years. Dortmund have won the German top-flight Bundesliga eight times, the DFP-Pokal three times, and the UEFA Champions League once.

Juventus FC: is one of the most successful clubs in Italy, having won the Serie A title a record 28 times and the Copa Italia a record nine times (tied with Roma). They have won the UEFA Champions League twice and have also been recognized as one of the top European clubs of the 20th century by IFFHS. Juventus is the defending Serie A champions, having not lost a match all season in the league, however, the club has recently been embattled by a match-fixing scandal which may see star defender Leonardo Bonucci suspended for three and a half years and coach Antonio Conte for a full season.

Olympique Lyonnais: commonly referred to as Lyon or OL, the club does not have the storied history of other clubs in France, but is the most successful French club of the 21st century. OL went on an unprecedented run of success starting in the 2001-2002 season, winning seven Lique Un championships in a row. The club has also won five Coupe de France titles and has reached the semifinals of the UEFA Champions League in the 2009-2012 season before being knocked out by German giants Bayern Munich. OL boasts starts including French national team goalkeeper and captain Hugo Lloris, Argentinian striker Lisandro Lopez, and French international defender Anthony Reveillere.