The upsurge of Jersey sponsors during the ’80s and 90s is an explicatory key to the evolution of modern football.
Football history will always give credits to an Uruguayan club team (Penarol), for introducing the concept of jersey sponsorship during the ’50s. However, most European Leagues vehemently opposed the concept of placing a sponsor’s logo on football jerseys and prohibited teams from the ideas other than the team name on their jersey until the late ’70s.
Eintracht Braunschweig and Jagermeister, a foremost German liqueur company unlocked the pathway for jersey’s sponsorship. Guenter Mast, the CEO offered a significant amount of sponsorship deal for 5 years to put Jägermeister’s logo on Eintracht Braunschweig’s jersey.
After the deal was penned, the club requested approval from the German Football Association (DFB) to put Jägermeister’s logo on its jersey. Unfortunately, DFB opposed the concept and only allowed the club’s logo on the jersey.
However, the club (Eintracht Braunschweig) was swept off by the lucrative deal and didn’t want to miss the golden opportunity. Braunschweig changed its official logo to that of Jägermeister, the German federation was shocked but didn’t have the power to overturn such mischief since it’s now the club’s official logo.
Months later, DFB finally approved the sponsor’s logo on the jersey and that pave way for others to see the financial benefits that come along.
But as things changed gradually with the revamped of the Champions League, football clubs began to see how attracting and mouthwatering a shirt sponsorship deal could be for their club in bringing to fore financial profit and enlarging the coast of both parties financially and in term of popularity.
Modern football clubs has undoubtedly been emblazoned by mostly betting firm as their principal sponsors, while before it’s was about beverages firm, airlines, and automobiles companies. It’s all about the money, who cares if it’s unethical or not.
Let’s revisit some of the legendary jersey sponsors in the history of football
- Manchester United – (SHARP, 1982-2000)
Manchester United is no doubt the biggest club in England, and when it comes to commercialization you would always find the Red Devils at the forefront.
Since the high-profile sponsorship deal between the Red Devils and Sharp ended 20 years ago, a lot of water has gone under the bridge. With the era of Vodafone for the 2000-01 season after the Sharp’s long association with the Red Devils came to an end.
Then after the era of Vodafone, then came AIG, AON, and now Chevrolet, though the Red Devils have just sealed a new deal worth £235million after both parties agreed on a huge five-year deal with TeamViewer.
Having mentioned all of the shirt sponsorship the Red Devils had in time past, it’s no doubt that the electronic company Sharp was the club’s longest and legendary serving shirt sponsor.
With lots of unprecedented success stories to have nostalgic feelings about, throughout their partnership under Sir Alex Ferguson and till date no sponsorship deal has ever covered such a glorious era for the Old Trafford side.
- Inter Milan – (PIRELLI, 1995-Present)
Pirelli and the Nerazzurri have no doubt been an inseparable duo since 1995, a sponsorship deal that has spanned over 26 years in the world of football. The Italian tyre manufacturer has been a loyal partner with Internazionale over the years, and it has become a synonymous entity with the Nerazzurri.
As beautiful as both party’s partnership has been working smoothly for two decades and a half, it’s quite unfortunate that the deal value at around £10million per season would come to a conclusion at the end of the 2020-21 season. During the good years, both have enjoyed a very smooth partnership with countless successes such as the Seria A’s Cup titles, and the Champions League.
The Italian Tyre manufacturer isn’t just marked out on this list because of its longevity, it was marked out simply because of its legendary status with Inter and the football world entirely. Pirelli was also legendary because of its aesthetic on the Inter Milan Jersey and the admiration it brings to the fore when fans order for it.
What further marked out Pirelli is the fact that the black and blue shirt stripes with the Pirelli logo boldly printed on it have been donned by legendary football superstars such as O Fenomeno, Ivan Zamorano, Taribo West, Javier Zanetti, Recoba, Ronaldo De Lima, and many more.
Pirelli is no doubt one of the iconic shirt sponsorship in the history of the beautiful game of football.
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- Napoli – (Mars, 1988-1991)
Maradona and the entire Napoli team were no doubt the darling of the Partenopei fans in the late 1980s and early 1990s. The great Maradona took the Partenopei club by the scruff of the neck and dragged them to challenging on the homefront which ended with a positive result by winning the Scudetto, and European football became a norm for the fan base of Napoli.
During that period that Napoli was punching above their weight, it’s was the chocolate bar company “Mars” that was boldly printed on the shirt of the Naples side, with the legendary Diego Armando Maradona leading them to every war donning the shirt with the famous number 10 boldly written behind Jersey.
What really marked Mars out and made it one of the legendary jerseys sponsors in Italy then was that it’s the go-to shirt choice for every young football enthusiast across the country. More so it’s was during that period Maradona’s legendary status with the Partenopei took center stage when he singlehandedly won the UEFA Cup and the Scudetto for them.
Sadly for Mars, Maradona’s dominant spell in Italy didn’t last forever which also brought an end to Mars as Napoli’s principal shirt sponsor in 1991.
- Bayern Munich – (OPEL, 1980-2002)
The Bavarian giant and the car company OPEL partnership came to an end when OPEL cited a new advertising direction. During the principal sponsorship of the Bavarian giant shirt, OPEL was one of the most recognizable shirt sponsors plastered on the team shirt of the most successful club in Germany at the time.
In 2002 Die Roten decided to redesign their shirt, while their main sponsor OPEL also decided not to renew its $13.5million a year contract with Bayern Munich has been in partnership with Die Roten since the late 1980s.
OPEL stepped down when Bayern Munich found another new sponsor in 2002, though both parties ain’t on the same page anymore.
However, their time together produced quite an unprecedented success with the club’s great donning the jersey plastered with OPEL in its front.
- Real Madrid – (Teka, 1992-2001)
Los Blanco’s first shirt sponsor was Zanussi, who agreed for the 1982-83, 1983-84, and 1984-85 seasons. Following those seasons of been the principal sponsors, the club was also sponsored by Parmalat, and Otaysa before the long-term deal was signed with Teka in 1992.
In 2001, Los Blancos ended their contract with Teka to signed a new contract with Siemens Mobile in 2002, then with other shirt sponsors which followed since then. However, the era of Teka with Los Blancos did come with lots of nostalgic moments for many Real Madrid faithful that could still relate with that time.
Real Madrid may be enjoying a bigger deal with their current shirt sponsor in Fly Emirates in terms of the financial profit, however, the Teka shirt sponsorship era was no doubt an iconic time for Los Blancos so making this list wasn’t a mistake.
- Parma – (Parmalat, 1998-2000)
Parma and Parmalat are undoubtedly the best sponsorship deal that ever happened to one of the best Italian sides in the ’90s. Great players such as Gianfranco Zola, Hernan Crespo, Gigi Buffon, Sebastian Veron, Lilian Thuram, Cannavaro, all donned the jersey with Parmalat boldly printed on it.
Throughout the 1980s and 90’s the horizon of Parmalat exploded onto the scene, spreading its wings all over the globe. Parmalat went on to become one of the jewels of the Italian commerce industry, and a model for other companies to emulate.
AC Parma and Parmalat era can be said to be one of football legendary jersey partnership because of the self-respect Italians had for them. In 1991 the Tanzi family bought 98 percent share of Parma following the untimely death of then-President Ernesto Ceresini, with one of the Ceresini’s sons holding on to the remaining stake.
During that era, Parma was by no means one of the best sides in Italian football, spent most of their time playing in the Seria C and B. With the arrival of Parmalat owned by the Tanzi family, Parma was bankrolled and they went on to achieved mouthwatering successes together with lots of great players.
- Liverpool – (Carlsberg, 1992-2010)
Danish beer company Carlsberg is probably the best shirt sponsor in the Kop’s history, with the kind of aesthetic feels it comes with when Liverpool’s players don it.
No doubt Carlsberg may have come with plenty of years of mediocrity success wise with the Anfield side, however, one beautiful night that would forever linger in the memories of all Liverpool’s faithful was the miracle of Istanbul in the Champions League, which definitely make Carlsberg one of the iconic shirt sponsorship in football.
During the period in which the partnership of Liverpool and Carlsberg was still existing, the Danish beer company never relent in bringing the relationship of both parties to life through global and local activations and events with their fans across the globe.
Before their iconic partnership came to an end in 2010, Carlsberg’s partnership with the Kop produced a lot of on-field success winning the Champions League in 2005. Two FA Cup’s, four League Cups, and one UEFA Cup in 2001 with great players such as Ian Rush, Robbie Fowler, and Steven Gerrard donning the legendary shirt.
- AC Milan – (OPEL, 1994-2006)
The German automobile manufacturer didn’t only enjoy stints sponsoring Bayern Munich and Paris Saint Germain in the ’90s, their time with the Italian giant was no doubt a period of great dominance of Italian football with a bunch of talented players donning the shirt.
During the 12 year partnership with the German company, the Rossoneri claimed four Scudetto, one Coppa Italia, and two Champions League titles.
Every football enthusiast who saw Milan played then would agree to the fact that those period were no means a time of dominance for the Rossoneri, with fantastic players such as Andriy Shevchenko, Maldini, Nesta, Seedorf, Kaka, and co that tore the Seria A apart with their swashbuckling football style.
It’s funny how Liverpool’s greatest Champions League night came in Carlsberg-clad jersey, then AC Milan’s lowest recede fell on that same night in Istanbul. The most feared collection of superstars in football shed tears into an Opel embroiled jersey, wondering whether the beer effect (Carlsberg) had a toll on them.
Even though Milan and OPEL have gone their separate ways, many football enthusiasts and Milan faithful still can’t forget those dominant eras under Carlo Ancelotti.
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- PSV Eindhoven – (Phillips, 1981-2016)
Phillips and PSV Eindhoven partnership is undoubtedly one of the unforgettable iconic partnerships in football. The electronic company stops sponsoring the shirt of PSV Eindhoven in 2016 after 30 years of magnificent partnership with a report saying Phillips wants to focus more on medical equipment than consumer electronics.
Although Phillips is still committed to the club as an important club partner of the Dutch side, though not as shirt sponsor but as stadium and other important secondary sponsorship deal with the club.
Been a real football enthusiast who saw the Dutch side in the ’80s and 90s what comes to mind is PSV’s colors that were awesomely complimented by the Philips logo for such a long time, that almost everyone assumed it was part of the jersey itself.
And not forgetting the glorious heydey of the club that played a host of great players such as Philip Cocu, Luc Nilis, R9, and Ruud Van Nistelrooy.
No doubt PSV Eindhoven’s partnership with Phillips definitely brought huge success and recognition to both parties, and also grow on the world stage flexing muscles with some of the biggest clubs/sponsorship rivals in Europe on the biggest of the stage.
- Boca Juniors – (Quilmes, 1995-2001)
The Argentine brewery company was founded in 1988 by the German immigrant Otto Bemberg, both parties came into partnership in 1995 to make sure the biggest club in Argentina had an on-field dominance in Argentine football.
The Quilmes partnership started immediately Nike became La Bombonera side kit sponsor, leading to a wave of fresh kits for the South American most respected club.
The reason why Quilmes makes it into our top list was that during their partnership with Boca Juniors the club enjoyed an on-field successful period. The scribbled font used in printing the name on the shirt goes perfectly well with the famous blue and yellow jersey.
Throughout the partnership of Quilmes and Boca, the shirt was donned by great players like the great Maradona, Juan Roman Riquelme, Carlos Tevez, and co who made the Bombonera side proud.
Notable Mention
- Fiorentina & (Nintendo, 1997-1999)
- Newcastle & (Newcastle Brown Ale, 1994-2000)
- Borussia Dortmund & (Die Continentale, 1986-1999)
- Juventus & (Jeep, Since 2012)
