Football is the most watched game in the world. So football clubs get huge revenue from sponsorships. Brands approach clubs to show their popularity and you can say generate more sales. As a result, the world has seen some of the most lucrative football sponsorship deals. Check out the Top 10 Richest Sponsorship Deals Of Soccer | Club Football List Deals.
Sponsorships are one of the most profitable ways for brands and clubs. All football clubs are lucky to have more paid brand sponsorships. Sponsorship money is used by clubs to improve their players and their game. So let’s take a closer look at the biggest sponsorship deals in football to see which brands pay more for sponsorships.
We recently ranked the richest football clubs and the richest footballers of all time. However, football is also linked to the current sponsorship deals of famous clubs. So, here are those.
Top 10 Richest Sponsorship Deals Of Soccer | Club Football List Deals
10. Chelsea
Chelsea’s first sponsor was Gulf Air in the 1983-84 season. Later, Chelsea, one of the most successful English football clubs, signed several sponsorship deals with Coors, Autoglass, Commodore, and Samsung.
However, from 2005 to 2015, Samsung paid a hefty $21 million a year. Chelsea now has three sponsorship deals with Nike, Zap, and BT. Nike has been making Chelsea shirts since 2017.
Chelsea has reached a 15-year deal with Nike that will pay Nike $71 million a year after completing an 11-year partnership with Adidas.
UK-telco Three also signed a contract with English football club Chelsea in July 2020. Recently, Chelsea announced last season’s profits through a $44 million sponsorship, the largest sponsorship deal in football.
9. Liverpool
As one of the English Premier League champions, Liverpool was the first club in football history to start sponsoring jerseys and jersey brands. As early as 1979, Hitachi became the first sponsor of Liverpool’s shirt and signed a three-year contract with him.
Later, many other well-known sports brands sponsored Liverpool, such as Carlsberg, Mauritius, MG, and AXA. Carlsberg is the longest-running partnership with the English League since 1992, extending from last year to 2024.
Earlier this year, Liverpool signed a three-year contract with Mauritius. MG and AXA also paid dearly for their sponsorship relationship with Liverpool. Liverpool’s biggest sponsor since 2010 is Standard Chartered, which pays $43 million per season to sponsor the shirt.
Liverpool’s other big partner is Adidas, which also pays $36 million per season. Liverpool makes $80 million per season through partnerships, which puts him ninth in football’s 10 richest sponsorship deals.
8. Arsenal
Arsenal, one of the English Premier League champions, makes huge sums of money through sponsorship brands. Arsenal had a sponsorship deal with Puma back in 2014, and Puma paid $43 million a season.
North London club Arsenal have now agreed to a shirt sponsorship deal with Emirates which will pay $56 million a season.
According to recent news, Arsenal has signed a five-year deal with Emirates Airline which will see the Emirates name appear on Arsenal’s shirts and kits. Emirates will pay $280 million for the partnership over five years.
Arsenal earned $86 million in sponsorship revenue last season. As such, they are ranked #8 on our list of the richest football sponsorship deals.
7. Bayern Munich
Bundesliga team Bayern Munich, known for having the best football club fan base, struck its first sponsorship deal with German sportswear Adidas in 1965. In addition, Adidas holds an 8.33% stake in the club.
The Bundesliga club has multiple sponsorship deals with various brands such as Allianz, Adidas, and Deutsche Telekom. However, Bayern Munich earned $125 million through sponsorship deals last season.
Bayern Munich struck the biggest deal in history with Adidas in 2015, worth $1.07 billion. In addition to Adidas, Bayern also has Allianz, which pays $9 million per season.
Deutsche Telekom, one of the largest telcos, pays $47 million a quarter. After all the sponsorship revenue, FC Bayern Munich has proven to have the largest sponsorship deal in football history.
6. Paris Saint-Germain
Each season, Paris Saint-Germain generates more than $148 million through sponsorships, a huge sum to support its players and competition. Plus, it houses some of the highest-paid athletes over the years.
In 1986, Paris Saint-Germain signed the first sponsorship agreement with Adidas, marking the beginning of the sponsorship era. This partnership continued until 1989.
In the same year, Nike became a sponsor of Paris Saint-Germain for the 1989 season. The partnership continues, as in 2013, Nike renewed its deal through the 2022 season for $95 million per season.
PSG, also sponsored by Air Jordan, is worth about $80 million per season. PSG’s current kit sponsor is Accor Live Limitless. Accor Live Limitless reportedly pays the club an additional $79 million a year. These are the biggest endorsement deals of 2022.
5. Juventus
Juventus is one of the most successful football clubs in Italy, earning $121 million per season through brands like Jeep and Adidas. 1981 was the first year the Juventus club was sponsored by heating and air-conditioning manufacturer Ariston.
Later, Juventus was sponsored by the Lotto brand from 2000 to 2003. Nike then sponsored Juventus from 2003 to 2015, paying $45 million per season.
As of now, Juventus has renewed its agreement with the Jeep brand for each season between now and 2024. Each season promoting The Brand Jeep will cost $55 million.
Juventus Club is the most prestigious club in football sponsorship deals. Juventus is now worth around $1.95 billion, according to Forbes. That’s why Juventus, the Italian football league, is fifth in our list of the richest football sponsorship deals.
4. Manchester United
Known for having some of the greatest footballers of all time, Man U aka Red Devils is one of the most important clubs in world football. Not every club can make as much money as Manchester United. Manchester began sponsorship deals with Aon, AIG, Vodafone, and Sharp Electronics in 1982.
AON pays $24 million per season as part of a stadium sponsorship deal with Manchester United. Two other brands have been seen as United’s mainstays since 2014, namely Adidas and Chevrolet.
The Manchester club earns $187 million per season from the two brands. Only a few clubs can make as much money as Manchester United. According to recent news, software company Team Viewer has also become a sponsor of Manchester United and will pay $60 million per season. The contract will run for five years.
The Red Devils are known for having the biggest football sponsorship of the brand. As a result, Manchester United are fourth in our countdown to football’s richest sponsorship deals.
3. Real Madrid
Spanish La Liga team Real Madrid has a reputation for always offering the most expensive sponsorships in football. In addition, it has been hailed as the most successful Spanish football club that has dominated world football for many years.
Parmalat was Real Madrid’s first sponsor in the 1985-86 season. Since then, Los Blancos has been sponsored by multiple brands, including Teka, Siemens, Bwin, and more. Middle Eastern airline Emirates is the biggest sponsor of the Spanish league, paying $84.1 million a year, and its contract expires next season.
Real Madrid has more sponsorships with Adidas, Audi, Nivea Men, and Mahout. Adidas is the second-highest-paid sponsor of the Blancos, paying $36 million a year for their shirt sponsorship.
Real Madrid will be worth $3.4 billion by 2022, making it the most valuable club in the world. Due to the value and trust built over time, the brand paid more than Real Madrid Club expected. That’s why Real Madrid is ranked third in the top ten richest sponsorship deals in football.
2. Barcelona
Spanish league Barcelona has been the most successful sports club of the century. Not only has it witnessed some of El-Clasico’s best moments, but the club generated $80 million in revenue last season.
Until 2006, the only club to refuse sponsorship was football giant Barcelona. Afterward, Barcelona welcomed the brand and reached its first sponsorship deal with the non-profit organization UNICEF for $1.5 million a year.
Later, it became apparent that many other brands such as Qatar Airways, Qatar Foundation, Nike, and Rakuten had approached Barcelona. One of Barcelona’s most profitable shirt sponsors is Nike, which pays $39 million a year.
Barcelona’s current sponsor is Japanese business giant Rakuten, which donates $65 million a year. The sponsorship deal between Barcelona and Rakuten is being billed as one of the biggest endorsement deals of 2022.
1. Manchester City
Premier League team Manchester City have the filthiest sponsors in the world. Most Manchester City sponsors come from the Arab world, including Nissan, Emirates, Abu Dhabi Tourism, and Etihad Airways.
The club has recently had some of the best football forwards in the world as well as some of the best football midfielders. To this end, it has also achieved unprecedented success in recent years.
As of 2009, Manchester City had a sponsorship relationship with a visiting company based in Abu Dhabi. Sports giant Nike also pays $18 million per season for jersey sponsorships.
The football club’s revenue for the 2019-2020 season was approximately $336 million. That’s why Manchester City top the list of the richest football sponsorship deals.
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