BOXSCORE | February 27, 2023 - Sponsorship deals are some of the most lucrative deals to be made within the footballing world. Through sponsorship deals, football teams can invest in higher-quality and high-performing pieces of equipment, sports clothes, training venues, and more.
In other words, sponsorship deals can really boost the performance of football teams by providing team members with the necessary funds to perform to the best of their ability. In exchange for funds, sponsors usually ask the teams to promote their brand or product.
For example, many sports teams are sponsored by brands like Pepsi or Coca-Cola. Some are also sponsored by gambling brands.
These sponsorship deals are shown on the players’ jerseys. Logos of gambling companies can be found on players’ jerseys, advertising their poker games.
Gambling companies choose to sponsor football matches because of the popularity of sports betting. Many other companies strategically sponsor football teams or events due to the impact that these matches can have on their business.
This article will list the football teams with the biggest sponsorship deals. Football, in this article, refers to what Americans call ‘soccer’ and will therefore not refer to ‘American football’.
The biggest football club shirt sponsorship deals
The following list will focus on the sponsorship deals with regards to football jerseys or shirts. The following sponsors paid millions of euros to have their brand displayed and advertised on the players’ sportswear.
Here are the top five sponsorship deals: 1.Real Madrid and Emirates
The airline company Emirates paid 70 million euros a season to have its name and motto (‘Fly Better’) in big letters on the jerseys of Real Madrid players. At the time of the deal, back in 2013-2014, the legendary football player Cristiano Ronaldo was playing at Real Madrid which contributed to the sponsorship deal.
This sponsorship was rewarded with an incredible performance on the team’s behalf. Over the next five years, Real Madrid won four Champions League titles.
2.Paris Saint-Germain and Accor
The second-best sponsorship deal on this list is the Paris Saint-Germain club (PSG) and Accor’s agreement. For 65 million euros a season, the Accor group had its logo printed in big letters in the middle of the players’ jerseys.
This agreement was made in 2019 with the Accor logo replacing the Emirates previous logo. This agreement was made when French player Kylian Mbappé was gaining hugely in popularity and was finalized a year after France won the FIFA World Cup.
Accor benefited from the new interest in PSG players and the popularity of France as a great football nation, to advertise their group which includes world-famous stadiums and hotels.
3.Barcelona and Spotify
Spotify signed an agreement with Barcelona to have its logo on the players’ jerseys, as well as the names of some famous artists featured on the brand’s streaming platform. The logos on the jerseys will therefore change depending on the artist mentioned.
For example, some of the jerseys will have logos with the artists ‘Shakira’ and ‘The Weeknd’ featured on them.
This deal was signed last year, in 2022, with Spotify paying 57.5 million euros per season for the privilege of promoting its brand.
4.Joint 4th: Manchester City and Etihad + Manchester United and TeamViewer
Etihad is another airline company based in the Middle East that has paid a fortune to have its brand featured on the team members of a famous football club. Manchester City has agreed to be sponsored by Etihad for the sum of 55 million euros per season.
In joint position, TeamViewer is sponsoring Manchester United for 55 million euros per season. It is more unusual for computer software to use football events as a way to promote their products and services.
That being said, TeamViewer’s remote access and remote-control computer software might be useful for football fans who need to stay connected to their work devices while being in the stadium.
5.Arsenal and Emirates
The last one on this list is the sponsorship deal between Arsenal and Emirates. The airline company is actively sponsoring football clubs in an attempt to beat its competition.
Many top football clubs, including PSG and Real Madrid, have been sponsored by the Middle Eastern company. For the sum of 47.5 million euros per season, Arsenal also agreed to be sponsored by this airline brand.
This sum is not as big as the sum agreed to in the Real Madrid and Emirates’ deal because Arsenal is not as popular and does not have as many famous players as Real Madrid did at the time.
Regardless, this agreement still remains one of the biggest sponsorship contracts in the history of football.
Final thoughts
This article discussed five of the biggest sponsorship deals in the world of football. Considering how popular this sport is, there will surely be more incredible sponsorship deals to come.
