Using data sourced by SportsLens, we have collated the top 10 key sponsorship deals in European football in the article below, which are determined by the combined value of three metrics; kit manufacturer deals, front-of-shirt, and sleeve sponsors.
- Six Premier League clubs feature in the top 10.
- Barcelona and Real Madrid still hold considerable commercial power.
- Italian clubs fail to make it in; Bayern and PSG the lone representatives from Germany and France.
All Premier League team data courtesy of SportsProMedia.
Top 10 Key Sponsorship Deals in European Football
10. Tottenham (£80m per-season)
Although the likes of AC and Inter Milan were pushing closely to break into the top 10, Tottenham occupy the final spot on the list.
The most lucrative of their sponsorship deals comes in the shape of AIA, who will be emblazoned on the front of the club’s shirts until 2027. Signed in 2019, the £320m deal translates to £40m per-season, while their kit manufacturer Nike will pay £30m per-year right the way through to 2033 in one of the biggest kit sponsorship deals in the Premier League.
Online car-selling platform Cinch also signed a deal worth £10m-per-season in 2021 to secure their place on the left arm of the Spurs kit for the next five years.
9. Liverpool (£90m per-season)
The lion’s share of Liverpool’s annual sponsorship revenue comes from their agreement with front-of-shirt sponsor Standard Charter, who secured a £50m per-annum extension last year which will see their deal last until at least 2027.
Nike, who managed to knock former kit designer New Balance out of the equation in 2020, actually pay a lower base rate of £30m per-year than their fellow sports brand, but the agreement is reportedly based largely on royalties.
Expedia, who occupy the sleeve spot on the Reds’ shirt, are coming to the end of their three-year deal this season, which is worth £10m per-year.
8. Arsenal (£93m per-season)
Arsenal’s long-running partnership with Fly Emirates, which has seen the airline secure front-of-shirt sponsorship and stadium naming rights, will enter its 18th year next term. However, the current deal is up for renewal by the end of next season, which is likely to lead to a significant rise on the current figure particularly given their new stature as title contenders – it stands at around £33m per-season at this moment in time.
Elsewhere, Adidas’ return to the club in 2019, a full 25 years after ending their original partnership in the mid 90s, has proven to be hugely successful with fans. This is worth around £50m per-year, while their sleeve sponsor Visit Rwanda pay £10m for the privilege.
7. Bayern Munich (£108m per-season)
Winners of 10 consecutive Bundesliga titles, and two Champions Leagues within that time-span, Bayern Munich command considerable commercial backing as the biggest club in Germany.
Their long-running partnership with renowned German sports conglomerate Adidas, the latest agreement of which was penned in 2015, means they will design their kits for at least the next seven years. In one of the biggest apparel deals on this list, it is believed to be around £650m in total.
Elsewhere, main shirt sponsors Deutsche Telekom have been front and centre on Bayern kits for over two decades, and the latest of three extensions will see them pay over £40m-per-year.
The club also receives £10m a year from its five-season deal with Qatar Airways, which can be found printed on their sleeves.
Data courtesy of SportsPro Media
6. Chelsea (£116m per-season)
For a club who recently reported over £235m in annual losses, while also becoming the first side to accumulate £1bn in total losses, sponsorships and commercial partnerships are more important than ever.
Chelsea's latest accounts show a £235m operating loss in 2021/22, and record accumulative losses exceeding £1bn. Summer spending is listed at £368.7m ("initial cost") on 18 players. 16 players were sold for a profit of £22.2m. Accounts submitted before January window. pic.twitter.com/IPELvCc5JC
— Ben Jacobs (@JacobsBen) April 9, 2023
They are seven years into their current 16-year agreement with Nike who will design and manufacture their kits until 2032 – in total, this deal is worth £900m, or £56m per-season.
The Blues also benefitted from a combined cash injection of £60m from their two shirt sponsors, Three and WhalfFin, with the latter involved in the joint-most lucrative sleeve sponsorship deal (£20m per-season).
However, with Three’s partnership having now come to an end, the Blues are currently sponsor-less heading into the new season
5. Paris Saint-Germain (£145m per-season)
Just missing out into the top four are Ligue 1 champions PSG, who are undoubtedly one of the most marketable clubs in world football given the profile of their players, their geographical placement in the French capital, but also the boundless Qatari economic backing from their owners.
Signing an extension to their deal with Nike four years ago, the Parisians secured one of the biggest kit agreements in Europe worth around £70m per-year; this will last until the end of the 2031-32 season.
Elsewhere, their links with Qatar are not limited to their owners, with Qatar Airways also printed across the front of their shirt – the airline pays just over £60m a year.
Meanwhile, GOAT, who are a luxury reseller platform, will pay £10m a season for the next five years as the club’s official sleeve sponsor.
Data courtesy of ESPN and SportsPro Media
4. Manchester City (£149.6m per-season)
Treble winners Manchester City make it into the top four in key sponsorship values.
Their shirt sponsorship deal with Etihad Airways in the most lucrative of any club in Europe, totalling around £67.5m a year – a deal that has been running since the Abu Dhabi United Group takeover in 2009, and is essentially an open agreement with no definitive end.
Elsewhere, Puma have a wide-reaching kit deal with the City Group, which encompasses Manchester City and many of the other teams under their multi-club ownership umbrella. For the Cityzens however, this is valued at £650m across a nine-year period.
Nexen Tire also secured an extension in 2020 to their sleeve sponsorship deal worth £10m per-year.
3. Manchester United (£157.5m per-season)
Sneaking into the top three are Manchester United, which comes as no surprise given their monstrous fan base and global commercial importance.
Nevertheless, £142.5m per-season in sponsorships and kit deals still represents one of the biggest combined sums in European football, and their recently agreed £90m per-season, 10-year renewal with Adidas is the third most lucrative on this list. It is also the most expensive in Premier League history.
In terms of their actual sponsors, German remote computer software brand TeamViewer agreed a six-year deal back in the summer of 2021 worth £47.5m a season, but the club have publicly announced they are actively seeking a change to their main shirt sponsor despite four years remaining on their current deal.
DXC Technology are the other brand on this list to pay £20m for the privilege of a sleeve sponsorship.
2. Real Madrid (£171m per-season)
La Liga may have suffered from a perceived drop in quality over recent years, but Real Madrid and Barcelona still reign supreme when it comes to the sheer scale of their commercial outreach.
Los Blancos come in at second on our key sponsorships deals. This is thanks in no small part to their staggering £950m agreement with Adidas, who have been their official kit partners since 1998.
Agreed in 2019, the biggest deal of its kind in world football will see the sports brand and Madrid work together until at least 2028.
Elsewhere, Fly Emirates have been on the front of Real shirts for the better part of a decade, and will continue to do so until 2026 after the extension to their £61m per-season deal was agreed in October of last year.
Data courtesy of Sports Khabri
1. Barcelona (£180m per-season)
For all their financial shortcomings, La Liga champions Barcelona remain firmly at the forefront of European football.
It is interesting to note that neither Barca nor Madrid have sleeve sponsors, which makes their combined key sponsorship totals that much more surprising.
Although their El Clasico rivals have by far and away the biggest overall kit deal in world football, the Blaugrana’s is actually worth more per-season according to Bleacher Report, which divulges the true value of their long-standing parternship with Nike; £120m a year.
They also benefit from £60m a season thanks to their new-found partnership with music streaming behemoth Spotify, who they have also given up stadium naming rights to in one of many steps to balance the books and secure the long-term future of the club.
Data courtesy of SportsPro Media.
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