Biggest Sponsorship Deals in Football History

Football is one of the most fantastic sports in the world. The popularity of the sport entertains millions of people and helps thousands of people generate income. Many big brands sponsor all the top clubs and players in the footballing world. The associations are formed with mutual interests in mind. While the clubs receive truckloads of money, the brands capitalize on the clubs’ massive fan base. 

Here are some of the biggest sponsorship deals in the world of football which took place in the past years:

20. Inter Milan – Car giants Pirelli have sponsored the Italian club since 1995. They currently are in a deal that costs €10 million per year.

19. West Ham United – Since 2015, betting company Betway have been sponsoring the club and giving them an impressive €11.5 million-per-year.

18. Atletico Madrid – The Los Rojiblancos have been sponsored by Plus500 who are with them since 2015 and give the Spanish side €12 million-per-year.

17. AS Roma – The Italian club is one of many clubs that are sponsored by the premium airline company Qatar Airways. The deal is worth €15.2 million-per-year since 2018.

16. Juventus – Serie A giants Juventus have a consistent sponsorship deal with car giants Jeep for €17 million-per-year. They have been associated with each other for five years.

15. Borussia Dortmund – The German giants Dortmund have been in a sponsorship deal with the Essen-based company Evonik since the 2007/08 season and gets €17 million-per-year.

14. Sassuolo – One of the shocks in this list is Serie A side Sassuolo who have been in a sponsorship deal with a Building Materials manufacturer company Mapei. The brand gives the club €18 million-per-year. They also have the naming rights for the Italian club’s stadium.

13. AC Milan – Despite dropping off from being consistent champions in Italy, the Rossoneri are still a global brand and are in a sponsorship deal with airline giants Fly Emirates since 2007 and provide them €18.5 million-per-year.

12. Wolfsburg – As the club is part of the Volkswagen group, it is in a sponsorship deal with Volkswagen. The brand provides them with €20 million-per-year and has the ‘Volkswagen Arena’ as their stadium name since 2002.

11. Schalke 04 – Having a partnership with the German club for the last 12 years, Russian Gas company Gazprom has been a vital sponsor. The current deal stands at €22 million-per-year.

10. Tottenham –  AIA group has been associated with the club since 2013, and have helped build the team’s new stadium. They pay the club an impressive €28.7 million-per-year.

9. Arsenal – Arsenal have been associated with the premium airline company Emirates since 2006/07. Their iconic stadium is also named after the brand. Arsenal gets €31 million-per-year from this deal.

8. Liverpool – Jurgen Klopp’s high-flying Liverpool have been really successful in the recent years and have a lucrative €32.1 million-per-year sponsorship deal with Standard Chartered. Theri association began in 2010 and is looking to continue in the coming years with the great success the club is achieving.

7. Bayern Munich – The German giants Bayern are the best club in the world right now. They signed one of the best sponsorship deals by associating with T-Mobile for a €42 million-per-year.

6. Manchester City – After their emergence as Europe’s elite in the past decade, City have been attracting a lot of attention. In 2015, it was associated with Airline company Etihad Airways which provide them €45.9 million-per-year.

5. Chelsea – The London club have recently signed a new sponsorship deal with UK-Telco Three for €47.3 million-per-year.

4. PSG – The rising French club rejected a €25 million-per-year deal with Fly Emirates last year to join forces with Accor, which is giving them a huge sum €50 million-per-year.

3. Barcelona – One of the all-time greats in world football, Barca signed a shirt sponsorship deal with Japanese electronic commerce and Internet giants Rakuten in 2017. The deal is worth €55 million-per-year.

2. Real Madrid – Being consistent in their European greatness by winning the Champions League 3 times in a row, Real Madrid are enjoying big sponsorship deals at the moment. Their highest paying one comes from Fly Emirates and is worth €70 million-per-year.

1. Manchester United – Despite missing the greatness in their play since Sir Alex’s departure, Man United have not failed to keep their standards up as a global brand and have the most lucrative shirt sponsorship deal with car manufacturers Chevrolet worth €71 million-per-year.

Written By
Shashwat Nishant