Ranking the Top 20 Most Lucrative Shirt Sponsorship Deals in European Football
By 90min
Updated 26/11/2019 -
Reports this week suggest Manchester United are close to agreeing a world-record €80m-a-year kit sponsorship deal with Chinese consumer electronics group Haier.
If that gossip becomes reality, United would smash their own record for the most lucrative shirt sponsor in football, with Chevrolet currently paying out €71.1m ($80m) per season.
Here is a list of the top 20 sponsorship deals around the continent.
20. Inter - Pirelli (€10m)
One of the most recognisable shirt sponsors in Europe, the Pirelli logo has become synonymous with Inter's iconic black and blue stripes.
The car tyre giants have provided the Nerazzurri's shirt sponsor since 1995, and with an annual outlay of €10m-per-year, the deal continues to be one of the most lucrative in Europe.
19. West Ham - Betway (€11.5m)
Betting companies have become a high-trending source of shirt sponsorship in recent times, and West Ham are the club to benefit most from the industry's investment in kit deals.
The Hammers receive €11.5m each year from Betway, making the deal the highest such deal involving a betting company around Europe. Betway have provided West Ham's main sponsor since 2015.
18. Atletico Madrid - Plus500 (€12m)
Despite having pipped their esteemed rivals to the La Liga title in 2013/14, reached the Champions League final twice in the last five years and having a Europa League title under their belt from last season, Atletico Madrid are still playing catch up to the leading pack of European football's superpowers.
Los Rojiblancos earn a hefty €12m per season from sponsors Plus500, who have sponsored the La Liga side since 2015, but the figure still leaves them some way short of the likes of Barcelona and Real Madrid in financial terms.
17. Roma - Qatar Airways (€15.2m)
Another of the industries which frequent the sponsorship field in European football, Qatar Airways are among the multiple airline companies which provide lucrative deals for top sides on the continent.
Their €15.2m-per-year arrangement with Serie A giants Roma makes their deal the 17th biggest in Europe, with the deal having been in place since 2018.
16. Juventus - Jeep (€17m)
Another Serie A giant among the top tier of European football's financial earnings, Juventus rake in annual takings of €17m from car giant Jeep.
The Italian champions are now into their fifth season of the sponsorship deal, which has quickly become one of the most distinguished partnerships in Europe.
15. Borussia Dortmund - Evonik (€17m)
One of the longer-standing deals which remains among the top sponsorship arrangements in Europe, industrial group Evonik have partnered with Borussia Dortmund since 2007/08.
The Essen-based company commits an outlay of €17m-per-year to their deal with the Bundesliga giants.
14. Sassuolo - Mapei (€18m)
One of the surprise names to emerge among Europe's top sides with elite-level financial gain through their sponsorship deal, Sassuolo earn €18m-per-year from their arrangement with Mapei.
A producer of building materials, the Italian company also hold the naming rights for the Serie A side's stadium.
13. Milan - Fly Emirates (€18.5m)
Despite having fallen off the pace of the top sides in Serie A in recent years, Milan continue to lead the way in Italian football as a global brand.
The Rossoneri maintain their status as a European superpower, and their deal with airline giants Fly Emirates earns them €18.5m per year, in an arrangement which started in 2007 and is currently due to run until 2019/20.
12. Wolfsburg - Volkswagen (€20m)
The deal which leads the way in terms of the sponsor's close-knit relationship with the club, Volkswagen commit an annual outlay of €20m to sponsor Bundesliga outfit Wolfsburg.
The club are a branch of the Volkswagen Group and, since 2002, their stadium has been named the Volkswagen Arena.
11. Schalke 04 - Gazprom (€22m)
An increasingly recognised name in European football, gas industry company Gazprom has emerged as one of the main sponsors of the Champions League in recent years.
The Russian company also commit sponsorship outlays in club terms as the main sponsors of Schalke 04, having partnered with the Bundesliga outfit for the last 12 years, and the current terms stand at €22m per season.
10. Tottenham - AIA (€28.7m)
Despite not having won the league title during the Premier League era, Tottenham's €28.7m-per-year deal with AIA reflects the financial might of the English top flight.
The partnership began in 2013 and will prove more than useful as Tottenham pay off the cost of building their new stadium.
9. Arsenal - Fly Emirates (€31m)
In another strand of the hostile north London rivalry, Arsenal's €31m annual earnings from their deal with Fly Emirates shades that of their Tottenham counterparts.
The Gunners have been sponsored by the airline giants since the 2006/07 season, and the naming of their new home as the Emirates Stadium since then makes this one of the most iconic sponsorship deals in Europe.
8. Liverpool - Standard Chartered (€32.1m)
Liverpool's rise under Jurgen Klopp has continued with a title challenge in the Premier League this term, and their €32.1m deal with Standard Chartered reflects their continued standing among Europe's elite.
The partnership began in 2010 and is currently due to run until 2022/23.
7. Chelsea - Yokohama (€36.7m)
Chelsea may have endured turbulent times on the pitch in recent seasons amid a flurry of managerial changes, but their successful haul of silverware under Roman Abramovich has earned them an established place among the top sides in Europe.
The Blues' current shirt sponsorship deal with Japanese tyre company Yokohama sees the west London side earn €36.7m per year, in a partnership which began in 2015.
6. Bayern Munich - T-Mobile (€42m)
A generally impenetrable force in German football, Bayern Munich have transcended eras as one of the elite sides in Europe and their sponsorship deal with T-Mobile puts them sixth on the continent.
The mobile giant's parent company. Deutsche Telekom, commits €42m each year to their sponsorship deal with the Bundesliga giants.
5. Manchester City - Etihad Airways (€45.9m)
Despite only emerging as a European superpower in the last decade following their huge takeover, Manchester City's haul of four Premier League titles in that time has established them as one of the most profitable clubs on the continent.
In a partnership which began in 2015, City earn €45.9m per season from Etihad Airways, and the deal even saw the airline giant acquire the naming rights for the club's stadium.
4. PSG - Accor (€50m)
Qatar-backed PSG have rapidly emerged as one of the premium forces in European football in the last decade, not least in terms of their financial firepower.
They ditched a €25m-per-year deal with Fly Emirates last summer for Accor to put them in the top four for kit sponsors.
3. Barcelona - Rakuten (€55m)
Despite having resisted the wave of shirt sponsorships for much of their esteemed history, Barcelona are now reaping the financial rewards that a club of their stature can command through shirt sponsorship.
The Catalans' current deal with Japanese electronic commerce and Internet giants Rakuten sees the club earn €55m through shirt sponsorship, in a partnership which began in 2017.
2. Real Madrid - Fly Emirates (€70m)
Barcelona may have enjoyed much more of the recent domestic success in Spain, but Real Madrid remain a formidable force in terms of their global standing.
Having won the Champions League for the last three consecutive seasons, Los Blancos remain a premium force in Europe, and their current €70m annual earnings from Fly Emirates stands them second on the continent for such deals.
1. Manchester United - Chevrolet (€71m)
Despite having not been the force they once were under Sir Alex Ferguson in recent years, Manchester United remain a colossal footballing force in terms of global stature, and continue to lead the way in financial terms.
Their €71m-per-year deal with car manufacturer Chevrolet is the leading shirt sponsor deal in European football for now at