Barcelona Announces Record-Breaking Rakuten Shirt Sponsorship Deal
It was just officially announced that Rakuten, a Japanese e-commerce company, will become the new Barcelona jersey sponsor from the start of the 2017-18 season in a deal worth at least €220m over four years.
Rakuten Becomes Barcelona Jersey Sponsor
This is how Rakuten's logo could look like on the front of the Barcelona kit.
Rakuten replaced Qatar Airways, which has been Barcelona's shirt sponsor since the 2013-14 season, and will be visible on the front of the Barcelona jerseys from the start of the 2017-18 season until the end of the 2020-21 season.
The sponsorship agreement between FC Barcelona and Rakuten is worth at least €55m per season, with bonuses of €5m and €1.5m respectively for each Champions League and La Liga trophy won during that period.
This sum puts the new sponsorship deal between Rakuten and Barcelona on par with Manchester United's Chevrolet kit deal, worth £47m per season.
Josep Maria Bartomeu, President of FC Barcelona: "We are delighted with our agreement with Rakuten, a global brand in innovation whose experience and know-how in the fields of big data, communications and e-commerce will contribute to the future success of FC Barcelona”.
Hiroshi Mikitani, Chairman and CEO of Rakuten Inc.: “I am very excited about joining the Barça community as I have personally followed the team for decades and have long admired their unique playing style and professionalism, their commitment to success and their culture of nurturing young talent – all values we share at Rakuten”.
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