Manchester United made history on Monday when they announced the biggest kit manufacturing deal in Premier League history.
The Red Devils blew rivals out of the water when announcing their new 10-year partnership with adidas worth £900million, running through until 2035.
United sources say the deal gives them certainty around the biggest source of revenue for the next decade, reinforcing the stability of the club.
But it raises the question as to where United’s huge £90m-a-year deal ranks in the world of sport.
With that in mind, Mail Sport takes a closer look at sport’s most lucrative kit deals…
Man United have kept adidas as their kit supplier until 2035 under the terms of the new deal
The 10-year partnership with adidas will be worth £900million to the Premier League giants
(£ per season)
Real Madrid (adidas) – £110m
The Spanish giants and adidas have been synonomous since 1998 and rarely do Real Madrid rank in second for anything.
Their latest extension, penned in 2019, landed as the most lucrative kit deal in football history, with estimates putting it at around £110m per season.
There are more layers to this mammoth deal, too.
It has been claimed that Real Madrid will claim back 20 per cent of all sales of club merchandise as part of the deal, while adidas, as part of the contract, will land their own retail space at the Bernabeu, once the stadium’s redevelopment is complete.
The adidas facility is expected to be the brand’s largest retail space in the world.
This mega kit deal is due for expiry in 2028.
Barcelona (Nike) – £100m
While Clasico rivals Real have been linked with adidas since 1998, Barcelona have held links to Nike since that same year.
This deal was a record at the time before Real Madrid gazumped it with adidas.
It is a 10-year deal that runs until 2028 and given Barcelona are cash-strapped ever since they were decimated by the Covid pandemic, this is a timely boost of cash.
It will come as no surprise to see Spanish super teams Real Madrid and Barcelona at the top
Manchester United (Nike) – £90m
Things are back on the up at United and that is not just down to boss Erik ten Hag and the players.
Off the pitch they are thriving too, not least with this kit deal.
United’s chief executive officer Richard Arnold said: ‘The relationship between Manchester United and adidas is one of the most iconic in world sport, forged through a shared commitment to style, flair and, most importantly, high performance.
‘With its roots in the 1980s, our partnership has been reinvented over the past decade with some of the most innovative designs and technology in sportswear.
‘We are now looking forward to refreshing this powerful partnership again through the remainder of this decade and into the 2030s.’
A new standard has been set in the Premier League and it will be interesting which English team breaks the £100m barrier sooner.
Liverpool (Nike) – £80m
Back in 2020 Liverpool leapfrogged their rivals when Nike shelled out £80m-a-year for the rights to their kit.
It was actually quite a fraught battle between Nike and former suppliers New Balance, one that ended in the High Court.
New Balance, the US Company, had supplied Liverpool’s kits since 2015 and they had ambitions to continue that partnership, so much so that they went to the High Court to argue their case.
They believed a clause in their contract at that time enabled them to match any offers from rival firms to continue their partnership.
Billy Hogan, one of Liverpool’s directors, said in a statement: ‘Our iconic kit is a key part of our history and identity.
‘As a brand, Nike reflects our ambitions for growth, and we look forward to working with them to bring fans new and exciting products.’
Arsenal are bound to adidas on a £75m-a-year deal through until the end of 2029-30 season
Arsenal (adidas) – £75m
On a deal that runs until the end of the 2029-30 season, Arsenal have maintained their strong commitment to adidas.
It was intriguing they renewed when they did as there was actually two years left on the previous deal before this new one was inked.
They were on a deal worth £60m per year and while not officially disclosed it was reported by those following Arsenal that the figure jumped up to £75m.
PSG (Nike) – £68m
Nike and PSG have proven to be a huge success since joining forces and this £68m-a-year deal represents a major coup for both parties.
‘The agreement represents a very important milestone, reflecting what the club has become on the global stage and the great ambitions we have for the future,’ PSG chairman and CEO Nasser Al-Khelaifi said.
‘Nike has been the club’s most faithful partner and this deal shows its firm commitment to continue with us every step of the way for many years to come.
‘Thanks to Nike and Jordan we have had a record season for shirt sales, one of the biggest in European football. We look forward to continuing this fast-paced growth and break yet more new ground in the years to come.’
Some of PSG’s kits have been remarkable and their Jordan merchandise project has been incredibly lucrative.
The deal runs through until 2032.
Man City (Puma) – £65m
Puma did not want to miss the Man City express train to success and what a move this was in 2019 tying the club down to a £650m deal over 10 years.
Puma chief executive Bjorn Gulden said at the time that it was the biggest deal his firm had ever done.
At the rate the current Treble winners are going, they will want to be an industry leader and leapfrog Real Madrid and Barcelona when it comes round to a renewal.
Chelsea (Nike) – £60m
At the time this was a truly astonishing deal.
When news dropped that Nike had committed to a new kit deal worth £900m over 15 seasons, tongues were wagging.
The £60m-a-year tie-up with Nike was worth double the annual amount paid by their previous kit supplier adidas.
So keen to land this deal, which runs until 2032, Chelsea actually paid £40m to EXIT their adidas contract, worth £30m-a-year, six years early.
Chelsea stunned the footballing world when they penned a 15-year deal with Nike as supplier
Juventus (adidas) – £46m
As Christmas approached in 2018, Juventus were still hard at work as they put pen to paper on an extension with adidas.
The deal, which runs until 2027, will earn the Italian giants £46m per season.
Juventus signed with adidas in 2015 and have been delighted with the German sportswear brand and penned this deal with the increased attention on the club while having Cristiano Ronaldo on the books.
Bayern Munich (adidas) – £42.5m
This deal runs through until 2030 and gives Bayern peace of mind that adidas are going nowhere for the foreseeable future.
Bayern are German champions (very rarely they are not) and it is perhaps a tad surprising they are slumped down in 10th.
Adidas spokesman Oliver Bruggen said at the time of the extension, signed in 2015, that ‘the contract extension until 2030 sees adidas continue its decades-long successful partnership with FC Bayern Munich.
‘We will focus even more closely in future on partnerships with selected top clubs and associations in international football and with young emerging players.’
WHAT ABOUT OTHER SPORTS?
NFL – collective Nike deal
Unlike in England, teams in the US fall under collective agreements.
Nike became the NFL’s official kit supplier in 2012, succeeding Reebok.
This current kit deal runs through until the end of the 2028 season and is worth a reported $1.1billion, according to CNN Finance.
Previous partner Reebok is said to have committed $350m annually for the rights to NFL gear.
NBA – collective Nike deal
Much like the NFL, it is Nike that holds the monopoly on kit supply in the NBA.
In a deal which started with the 2017-18 season, Nike became the first kit partner the NBA has had where its famous Swoosh logo was to appear.
The mega deal is reported to be worth $1bn.
‘This partnership with Nike represents a new paradigm in the structure of our global merchandising business,’ said NBA Commissioner Adam Silver.
‘As our exclusive oncourt apparel provider, Nike will be instrumental in our collective efforts to grow the game globally while applying the latest in technology to the design of our uniforms and oncourt products.’
The NBA is solely supplied by Nike as the American brand secures the NFL and MLB as well
UFC’s kit deal is exclusive to Venum, with fighters under strict outfit guidelines in a fight week
UFC – Venum
In August of last year UFC was more than happy to extend its apparel deal with Venum.
Having partnered with Reebok in 2015, the UFC found a new lease of life with Venum supplying fighter kit.
Rather than allowing fighters to strike their own deals and where what they want, UFC chief Dana White pays competitors a flat sum on fight week for sticking to outfit policies – basically, only where Venum.
That applies for all the pre-amble events to fights too.
The financial terms of the deal have never been disclosed.
MLB – collective Nike deal
Now this is mega – and we know some of the figures.
Nike’s bid to monopolise the US market saw them replace Under Armour for Major League Baseball.
Eager to get the Swoosh on the pinstripe jerseys, a deal was struck, which started in 2020, for it to appear in a move that is reported to net each of the 30 MLB teams about $3m a year, according to Forbes.
