Barcelona sealed "one of the world's largest football shirt sponsorships" after signing a four-year deal worth at least €220M ($235.2M) with Japanese retailer Rakuten, as the value of commercial deals for top-flight teams "continues to rise," according to Ahmed, Lewis & Inagaki of the FINANCIAL TIMES. The deal with one of Europe’s "most successful football teams" signals Rakuten’s desire to "gain global recognition for a brand that is already a household name in its home market." On Wednesday, the Catalan club and the Japanese company announced they signed a four-season deal -- with an option to extend to a fifth -- worth €55M ($58.8M) a year. It "ends Barcelona’s protracted search for a new shirt sponsor" after its partnership with Qatar Airways, worth roughly €30M ($32M) a year, was extended for a year in July after expiring at the end of last season. Sports consultancy Repucom said that corporate spending on football shirt sponsorship in Europe’s top six divisions has doubled since '10, reaching €830M ($888M) this year (FT, 11/16).
COMES WITH BONUSES: ESPN.com's Samuel Marsden reported the agreement could be worth as much as €61.5M ($65.8M) per season if the club wins La Liga and the Champions League, which would top ManU's £52M ($64.7M)-a-season deal with Chevrolet. Tokyo-based Rakuten "is the largest e-commerce site in Japan and among the world's largest by sales." Club President Josep María Bartomeu explained that "the initial talks were initiated by Gerard Pique, who arranged a dinner in San Francisco last season" with Rakuten CEO Hiroshi Mikitani. Bartomeu: "We were not in a hurry [to find a sponsor last season] because we wanted to find a beneficial agreement. ... This all started at a dinner in 2015 which was organized by Pique in San Francisco during the club's U.S. tour. Gerard and his wife, Shakira, are very close friends with Mr. Mikitani. He helped us a lot to meet Mr. Mikitani, so we are very grateful to him" (ESPN.com, 11/16). THE DRUM's Tony Connelly reported similar to ManU’s current shirt sponsorship strategy, Barcelona’s deal with Rakuten "covers the first-team shirts." Sponsorship for the training kits "has yet to be announced," however Qatar Airways, which is expected to stay on as the club's official airline partner, looks "likely to take up the space." Bartomeu said, "This agreement puts us at the forefront of sports club sponsorships, which have always been an objective for the current board of directors." In addition to the shirt sponsorship agreement, Rakuten’s Viber, the global mobile messaging and calling app, will also become Barcelona’s official communications channel (THE DRUM, 11/16).
WHERE IT RANKS: In Madrid, Moisés Llorens reported Barcelona goes from having the sixth-most valuable shirt deal to the second-most valuable, behind ManU. Below are the annual values of the top 10 shirt deals in int'l football:
ManU (Chevrolet) €71M
Barcelona (Rakuten) €55M (plus variables)
Chelsea (Yokohama Tyres) €55M
Arsenal (Fly Emirates) €40M
Bayern Munich (Deutsche Telekom) €33M
Real Madrid (Fly Emirates) €32M
Paris St. Germain (Fly Emirates) €28M
Man City (Etihad Airways) €27M
Liverpool (Standard Chartered) €27M
Tottenham (AIA) €21M (AS, 11/16).
LOOKING BACK: In Barcelona, Ferran Martínez reported Mikitani "was on the verge of signing a deal with Man City" in '11-12. He was in touch with Man City CEO Ferran Soriano "and when everything appeared on track to be finalized, Mikitani asked for a somewhat extravagant condition." He wanted the club to wear red, "the exact color of Man City's rival, ManU." Man City execs "could not accept that, and Rakuten decided not to partner with the team" (MUNDO DEPORTIVO, 11/16).
'JAPANESE AMAZON': SPORT reported Rakuten is the biggest online sales company in Japan, with more than 50 million registered users. The company was founded in '97. Rakuten reported revenue of €6.2B ($6.6B) in its most recent financial year (SPORT, 11/16). In Barcelona, Josep M. Berengueras reported Mikitani is the fifth-richest person in Japan and 29th-richest in the world, with a fortune of $6.6B. He invested $300M in Lyft and $100M in Pinterest. Mikitani "already has experience in sports," as he owns Japanese baseball club Tohoko Golden Rakuten Eagles (EL PERIÓDICO, 11/16).
