The kit sponsorship is one of the biggest sources of income for the football clubs behind the TV right revenue and the matchday ticketing. While the fashion line is partnering with these clubs too in their jersey’s designs, some other multi-international brands have been long-standing partners with clubs, as the likes Italian tyre manufacturers ‘Pirelli’ with Inter Milan for more than two and a half decades, Fly Emirate have been more than one and a half decades with Arsenal.
However, sponsorship deals are an important part of the clubs these days because it helps those clubs to operate freely and smoothly with necessary financial options to lure the best legs to their rank in order to compete for the best trophy on planet in the world of football.
Moreover, with latest sponsorship between Pirelli and the Italian giant club “Inter Milano”, the Estadio Guiseppe Meaza occupant team have been able to assemble the best leg needed to displace The Old Lady of Turin (Juventus) as the champion of Italy as the Conte led team are on the verge of winning their first scudetto in more than a decade with odds calculator currently tipping the Nerazzuri at -1200 odds to become the Italian Serie-A champion. But below are the top sponsorship deals in football right now.
Etihad Airways (Manchester City)
Since Manchester City brought-in the Middle East billionaire investor into their rank, the rise and rise of the club among the elite has been a fairy tale. The Etihad stadium club have been having their share of dominance in the Premier League while they are on the verge of winning the league for the third time in four year with one runner-up behind the current defending champion of the league.
However, that would not have been a surprise as the Cityzen deal on and off the pitch have a spectacular figure with which their kit sponsorship is a testament to their prowess. Manchester City secured a very high-profile sponsorship deal with United Arab Emirate airway.
Although, their partnership began in 2015 in which Manchester City earns €51.3 million each season from Airways, and the lucrative sponsorship deal even ensure the airline giant have the naming rights to the Manchester City’s stadium.
With this deal, Manchester City became the second football club with the most expensive shirt sponsorship deal in the Premier League behind their Premier League neighbor.
Rakuten (FC Barcelona)
While the Spanish giant club is one of the biggest clubs in world football, the Catalan club had no shirt sponsorship deal till after they won their second Champions League Trophy in 2006 before, they agreed on a deal with Unicef in 2006.
However, it was in 2011 that the Catalonia most successful team began to cash-in on their shirt sponsorship with Qatar Airways flying high on the shirt while the Unicef settle for a space in the back.
Moreover, the Qatar Airway was terminated by Barcelona to land more lucrative and extravagant deal with the Japanese company, Rakuten in 2017. Although, the deal is will be coming to an end at the end of the current season in 2021 after a four-year deal was agreed by both parties in 2017 for a deal that enable Barcelona earn around €55m per year.
Barcelona will be looking to make more robust deal in the nearer future either with the Japanese internet giant and electronic commerce company or with yet another firm to ensure that their debt and wages bill is satiable with club’s current economic situation that nearly drive them to bankruptcy.
But either way, the current deal with the Japanese electronic commerce company is one of the best shirt sponsorship deal in the world of football currently.
Accor (Paris Saint Germain)
Like the Manchester City rise to stardom, Paris Saint Germain has been on the rise since the involvement of the State-Owned shareholding organization Qatar Sport Investment (QSI) in 2011. While reaching the UEFA Champions League final once and numerous Round-16 exit, Paris Saint Germain has emerged as one of the top teams in European football in the last decade.
One of the reasons why the French giant club have enjoyed a meteoric rise was due to their financial power. Moreover, the team shirt was previously sponsored by the Fly Emirates, however, the Paris club ended their 13-year relationship with Fly Emirates in 2019, while they signed a multi-year deal with the French-owned hotel group Accor in 2019.
However, having such a lucrative will further attenuate the financial prowess of the Qatari owned team to finance their UEFA Champions League, as the team is on the verge of making the UEFA Champions League final for the second time in two years but will be facing another giant and financial nuance team in the semi-final of the competition.
Although, both teams are bank-rolled by a state-owned shareholding organization and their shirt sponsorship deal are far greater than many but the Paris Saint-Germain deal is a reference to how far they have come on and off the pitch with a multi-million shirt sponsorship deal that worth around €60 million a year.
Fly Emirate (Real Madrid CF)
Having such a ludicrous history with their recent achievement in the Champions League, the European football juggernaut is one of the football biggest club in the world, if not the best and like their perennial rival, Real Madrid have had lots of success on home and European turf throughout their rich history.
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While Real Madrid is undoubtedly the most successful football club on European with while winning Four Champion League in five years and having been the Champion of the most prestige club competition for the record number of thirteen times, Real Madrid success does not only materialize on the field but also behind it.
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However, with their and success, it is only logical for the team to have better sponsorship deal than most of the teams across Europe and the world of football at large. Moreover, in 2018, the Madrid biggest club did justice to their reputation while they have a deal worth around €70 million a year.
Chevrolet (Manchester United FC)
Since the departure of Sir Alex Ferguson from the Old Trafford in 2013, The Red Devil have found it so difficult to maintain their status quo among the elite in the game both locally and internationally.
While they only made top four on three occasions, the Old Trafford team had really been hit with inconsistent in their game and had left the English most successful team behind in their pursuit of English grandiose like Bayern of Germany and Real Madrid of Spain.
Moreover, despite their inconsistencies, the team have enjoyed success on European second tier competition, while they won the competition with Jose Mourinho in-charge, they are in the semifinal of the competition for second time in two years. The English club has had so many expensive shirt deals in the past.
However, with such prestige and history, Manchester United is having an off the field success with which their shirt sponsorship deal is the biggest in the world of football currently as Chevrolet will be paying the Manchester Club around €73 million a year for 5years.
