The values of the biggest clubs in soccer have skyrocketed over the last five years, thanks in large part to revenue growth. A large portion of this revenue comes from the most expensive shirt sponsorship deals in all of sports, and it should come as no surprise that the three clubs with the largest jersey sponsorship deals also constitute the three most valuable soccer teams in the world.
The list is largely dominated by English Premier League sides and the Dubai-based airline Emirates, both obvious signs of the time.
The 10 Most Expensive Shirt Sponsorship Deals 2019
#10. PSG with Emirates — $32 million per year, but expiring in 2019.*
*This deal will expire following the 2018-19 season, and PSG has confirmed that its looking for a new sponsor. The club will certainly climb this list next year.
#9. Bayern Munich with Deutsche Telekom — $34 million per year, running until the end of the 2022-23 season.
#8. Tottenham with AIA — $45 million per year, running until the end of the 2021-22 season.
#7. Manchester City with Etihad — $48 million per year. This one’s a bit murky since Etihad pays a lump sum (or what Juventus president Andrea Agnelli calls “financial doping”) for jersey, training kit and stadium naming rights.
#6. Liverpool with Standard Chartered — $50 million per year, running until the end of the 2022-23 season.
#5. Chelsea with Yokohama — $51 million per year, running until the end of the 2019-20 season.
#4. Arsenal with Emirates — $56 million per year, running until the end of the 2023-24 season.
#3. Barcelona with Rakuten — $60 million per year, running until the end of the 2021-22 season.
#2. Manchester United with Chevrolet — $68 million per year, running until the end of the 2020-21 season.
#1. Real Madrid with Emirates — $80 million per year, running until the end of the 2020-21 season.
What’s more, Real Madrid recently reached a 10-year, $1.26 billion agreement with jersey manufacturer adidas. For a bit of perspective, Nike paid the NBA $1 billion to make jerseys for all 30 NBA teams back in 2015 — a number that Real Madrid trumps on its own!
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