Gary Lineker names his top three biggest clubs in world football based on 'stature'

Gary Lineker has named the three clubs he believes are the biggest in the world based upon overall 'stature'.

The Match of the Day host and England legend gave his view after Real Madrid sealed the transfer of Jude Bellingham from Borussia Dortmund.

The debate of which clubs are the biggest in the world is often hotly contested by fans, with anything from amount of trophies won and stadium capacity to high-profile players deciding the contest in the eyes of different supporters.

There is also historical success to be taken into account, although another argument fans have is how relevant that is compared to success in the modern day.

Put simply, the exact answer without any criteria is pretty hard to come by - meaning there has to be some sort of factor involved when determining how 'big' a club actually is, and where it ranks in comparison to others.

And speaking in an interview with LaLiga TV, Lineker presented his top three biggest clubs - in the context of club 'stature'.

Lineker names football's three biggest clubs

Discussing Bellingham's move to Real Madrid, Lineker placed the Spanish giants as one of the three biggest clubs in world football.

Los Blancos have won 14 Champions League and European Cup titles - more than any other club - and were dominant through the opening years of the competition in the 1950s.

And from the signings of Alfredo Di Stefano and Ferenc Puskas, all the way to the 'Galacticos' era and beyond, Real have had the world's elite players queueing up to join them for the better part of 70 years.

After naming Real Madrid, Lineker then gave the names of two other clubs that he believes can be considered the biggest due to their stature.

"I think in the world's big three football clubs, it's probably Real Madrid, Barcelona and Manchester United in terms of stature," he said.

"We all know Real Madrid is a proper football club. I'm biased towards Barcelona [as a former player], we don't love Real Madrid in Barcelona to put it mildly.

"But they are a sensational football club and an incredibly successful football club that play brilliant football."

Who do you believe are the three biggest clubs in world football? Let us know in the comments.