Football shirt sponsorship deals are unarguably the best strategy top football clubs adopt in maximizing their own brands with the aims and objects set to recoup more money.
While the idea of multinational companies partnering or building a business relationship with top clubs is about putting their brands in the faces of the global audience through their business relationships with the clubs.
As football enthusiasts across the globe look forward to the new campaign, the question is which clubs are topping the table in terms of their mega shirts sponsorship and value.
- Biggest football shirt sponsorship deals in Europe
- Who has the biggest sponsorship deal in Premier League?
- Who has the biggest sponsorship deal in La Liga?
- Which football team had the first shirt sponsor?
- Who has the biggest shirt sponsor in football?
- How much does Fly Emirates pay Real Madrid?
- How much is the Chelsea Nike deal worth?
- What company sponsors the most soccer teams?
- Who sponsors the Barcelona shirt?
- How much is Spotify Barcelona deal?
Biggest football shirt sponsorship deals in Europe
- Juventus – (Jeep, €45m) , Bayern Munich – T-Mobile, €45m)
The Old Lady’s dominance in Serie A came to an abrupt end in the 2020-21 and 2021-22 respectively to Inter Milan and AC Milan, although their dominance may have been halted in Italy. However, their position isn’t halted amongst top football clubs with mega shirt sponsorship deals.
While Juventus are gradually maneuvering their way into one of Europe’s top side, Die Roten are constantly dominating the Bundesliga with aplomb and has likewise been listed as one of the highest earning teams with lucrative shirt sponsorship deals.
Die Roten first sealed their sponsorship deal with Deutsche Telekom T-Mobile in 2002 worth $283m, following the expiration of their previous sponsorship deal with OPEL. While Jeep has been in partnership with the Old Lady from 2012 till 2023.
Both Juventus and Bayern Munich are tied with the same amount of money in terms of their valuations which is €45m respectively for the Italian and German sides.
- Chelsea – (Three, €45m)
Chelsea’s jersey sponsorship deal with the UK Telecommunications giant is worth €45m annually and the current agreement is set to run until the summer of 2023.
Following Roman Abramovich’s assets being frozen in the UK in the wake of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, the Telecommunications firm confirmed they’re suspending their sponsorship deal with the Blues until further notice.
However, Blue’s deal with ‘Three’ is now up and running after Todd Boehly completed his purchase of the club from former owner Roman Abramovich, and as such the deal is set to expire in 2023. Chelsea will be expecting a lucrative renegotiation of the deal.
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- Liverpool – (Standard Chartered, €46m)
When the Red signed a shirt sponsorship deal with Standard Chartered, a financial firm in 2010, they wouldn’t have imagined the kind of on and off-field success both parties are currently enjoying.
Liverpool last renewed the deal with Standard Chartered in 2018, earning a whopping €46m annually, and you will agree that the deal it’s one of Red’s best shirt sponsorship businesses in recent time.
Meanwhile, with the latest rumors about Standard Chartered and Liverpool parting ways when their ongoing contract expires, Liverpool might have a Blockchain firm as their new shirt sponsorship partner.
- Tottenham Hotspur – (AIA, €47.5m)
When it comes to business negotiation, the North London club can boast of a well-experienced chairman, Daniel Levy, who is highly vested with the nitty-gritty of negotiating a lucrative deal.
Tottenham has been in partnership with Asia’s largest life insurance company AIA since 2013, in a deal worth $400m before the current deal was renewed in 2019 which is expected to run until 2027.
While it is very essential to have a shirt sponsorship deal as a top club, the ironic thing about the North London side’s deal with the insurance company is that the better Tottenham performs on the pitch the worse the deal becomes in terms of revenue.
However, with €47.5m total pay for Tottenham, the deal looks good on the face but the figure will start to depreciate compared to other teams with lucrative shirt sponsorship deals.
- Arsenal – (Fly Emirates, €47.5m)
The last shirt sponsorship deal in front of Arsenal’s jersey was the renowned Japanese electronic firm ‘JVC‘ from 1981 to 1999, but now the London side now has a shirt sponsorship deal that is more lucrative than their previous sponsor.
The Gunners announced the biggest sponsorship deal ever in the history of the club in 2006 worth a whopping £200m that will run until the end of 2023-24 seasons.
With the new campaign set to commence soon, Fly Emirates will continue to feature on all Arsenal’s shirts and kits until the end of 2023-24, and after the completion of the deal hopefully, both parties will consider a renegotiation.
- Manchester United – (TeamViewer, €55m)
The Red Devil may have experienced an underwhelming performance last season in the league under Ralf Rangnick, however, their finance never experience a disappointing lopsidedness.
At the start of the 2021-22 season, United agreed on a five-year deal with technology giants TeamViewer‘ as the principal sponsor of the club, which at the time was the biggest shirt deal in the Premier League based on revenue.
Following the expiration of Chevrolet’s deal with Manchester United, the German software giant TeamViewer becomes the sixth principal shirt sponsor in the Red’s history.
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- Manchester City – (Etihad, €60m)
The Citizens have experienced a revolutionary period at the club since the Abu Dhabi takeover in 2008, with the great investment made into the team, academy, and community in the east side of Manchester.
In 2011, Manchester City sealed a deal with Etihad Airways that was greeted with huge skepticism when fans suggested the deal was way higher than the market value.
The deal is reported to be worth £400m in the acquisition of both the stadium naming rights and shirt sponsorship, and as matter of fact, the partnership of both parties was a symbolic deal for Etihad because it was the first time the airline turned in a massive profit.
- Barcelona – (Spotify, €62.5m)
When Barcelona landed a sponsorship agreement with music streaming giant Spotify following their financial instability in the last years, all Blaugrana faithful breathed an air of relief.
The music streaming service replaces Rakuten as the club’s main shirt sponsor going into the new campaign which will no doubt help galvanize Barcelona’s financial woe significantly.
The Spotify deal will see the brand partner across more than just the Camp Nou stadium, it also includes all training kits and the women’s team and the whole deal will be activated from the start of the 2022-23 season.
- Paris Saint Germain – (Qatar Airways, €65m)
The Parisian’ rise, both commercially and on the pitch have over the years experience a phenomenal trajectory, and as we edge closer to a new campaign, the fans of the Ligue 1 giant will expect to see their team enjoy more success.
With Qatar Airways replacing French hospitality group ‘Accor’ on the front of their shirt, the Ligue 1 giant becomes the second top team with the most lucrative shirt sponsorship deals.
The deal is rumored to be a three-year partnership from 2022-23 to 2024-25, and the total package includes Qatar Airways offering fans an official holiday traveling package to Paris as well as Doha’s Hamad International Airport.
- Real Madrid – (Fly Emirates, €70m)
Los Blancos have not only enjoyed success on the pitch, sporting-wise they’ve also enjoyed huge commercial success over the years with wonderful brands coming their way with juicy deals.
Real Madrid shirt sponsorship deal makes them one of the highest earning clubs in Europe with mouthwatering money going into the club’s account annually, no wonder they’re ranked first in the 2021 Deloitte rankings for teams with the highest revenue generated in the world football.
The deal was initially signed by Real Madrid in 2013 but it was renewed in 2017 and is still a partner of the airline as we edge closer into a new season, even though there are rumors that the Spanish giant might look in a different direction for a new shirt sponsor in the future.
FAQ*
Who has the biggest sponsorship deal in Premier League?
Manchester City! Currently, the biggest shirt sponsorship deal for a team in the Premier League is Manchester City’s partnership with Etihad worth around €60m annually
Who has the biggest sponsorship deal in La Liga?
Real Madrid! Currently, the biggest shirt sponsorship deal in Spain/Europe is the Spanish giant’s partnership with Fly Emirate worth around €70m
Which football team had the first shirt sponsor?
Jersey sponsorship in English football clubs was first pioneered by Coventry City in 1974 after they were sponsored by Talbot.
Who has the biggest shirt sponsor in football?
Liverpool’s next shirt sponsorship deal could be in the region of €94 million per annum making it the biggest deal of its type in football history. However, as of now Madrid still holds it at €70m
How much does Fly Emirates pay Real Madrid?
Fly Emirates’ deal with Real Madrid was originally signed in 2013 for five years. The deal is worth €25m (up to 30 million Euro with bonuses). Currently, the deal is worth €70m.
How much is the Chelsea Nike deal worth?
£900m! Nike has a 15-year deal worth 900 million pounds ($1.2 billion) to supply Chelsea’s match clothing, training gear and replica uniforms, and its iconic swoosh appears on the players’ shirts on match day.
What company sponsors the most soccer teams?
Coca Cola. Since 1950, Coca-Cola has had stadium sponsorship and it has remained an official World Cup partner since 1978
Nike.
Barclays
Adidas
Pepsi
Red Bull
Samsung.
Who sponsors the Barcelona shirt?
Spotify!
Barcelona has signed a shirt and stadium sponsorship deal with audio streaming platform Spotify. The brand will appear on the front of the men’s and women’s team shirts for four seasons from the 2022-23 campaign
How much is Spotify Barcelona deal?
Various Spanish outlets, including Catalan radio station RAC1, have pegged the value of the deal at about €280 million (US$308 million), equating to €70 million (US$76.9 million) per year.
