Top 3 most valuable sponsorship deals in club football history

Sports sponsorship in today’s world is practically mandatory for teams, athletes, or any sporting event in general. Many organisations provide financial support to teams or athletes in exchange for brand exposure.

Football, the most followed sport worldwide, has also witnessed massive sponsorship deals over the years. Given the popularity of certain football clubs thanks to their global fan bases, valuation of sponsorship deals has skyrocketed.

In club football, it’s the kit suppliers that usually end up paying some of the biggest amounts in sponsorship history owing to the revenue that comes from selling club kits and merchandise. Here, we look at the three biggest sponsorship deals in the history of club football.

3. Adidas and Real Madrid CF

In May 2019, Spanish giants Real Madrid signed a lucrative kit sponsorship deal with German sportswear brand Adidas for a reported €1.1 billion. 

The deal, set to run until 2028, was to earn Los Blancos an enormous €110 million annually, which could rise to €135 million through a percentage of the shirt sales. This was a massive upgrade from their previous deal with Adidas, which fetched around €52 million per season. Real Madrid could also earn an additional €50 million per season, subject to the club reaching further sales targets. 

With rivals FC Barcelona striking a massive deal with Nike, according to Marca, there has been recent news that Real Madrid could sign an improved deal with Adidas at the end of the 2025/26 season, which will see them earn €1.6 billion over a period of 12 years. The agreement has been reached with the German brand, with Real Madrid set to earn €120 million annually as well as 20% of merchandise sales, with another €9 million in material for all the teams at the club. 

This upcoming deal will make Real Madrid the most expensive club on Adidas’s roster. It will also overtake the Manchester City–PUMA deal to become the second most valuable sponsorship deal in club football. 

2. PUMA and Manchester City FC

In July 2025, Herzogenaurach-headquartered German sportswear company PUMA renewed its kit sponsorship deal with Manchester City FC in a record deal for the Premier League. PUMA extended the deal for a period of ten years (until 2035) for €1.2 billion.

As per the deal, PUMA supplies all Man City men’s, women’s, and youth-category kits, as well as associated apparel and team wear. Additionally, STICHD, a PUMA subsidiary, acts as City’s retail partner and operates the club’s online store. 

With this deal, Man City have in place the most valuable kit sponsorship deal in Premier League history, having beaten their same-city rivals Manchester United’s deal with Adidas.

1. Nike and FC Barcelona

In November 2024, FC Barcelona signed the most valuable kit sponsorship deal in the history of club football. The renewal agreement, running from 2025 to 2038, is worth a whopping €1.7 billion. The previous deal, which was supposed to end in 2028, has been revoked. 

As per the deal, Nike serves as a main partner of the club and the official technical partner of all Barça professional and amateur teams. The Blaugrana earn approximately €127 million annually from this agreement, on top of a €158m signing bonus.

This deal marked a significant step up from their €105m annual deal signed in 2016, which was a record at the time but was soon broken by Adidas’ kit deals with Real Madrid CF and Manchester United FC.