Clubs' First Ever Shirt Sponsors - Man United x Sharp, Barcelona x Unicef and more

Shirt sponsors have become an inseparable part of football clubs in the last few years as many teams often get associated with the names in front of their jerseys just like Manchester United with Team Viewer, Barcelona with Spotify or the likes of Real Madrid and AC Milan with Emirates. However, not many might still know or remember what was the first shirt sponsors that appeared in those top clubs’ jerseys.

First Shirt Sponsors in Top Clubs Jerseys

Real Madrid x Zanussi

Speaking about top European Clubs, there’s certainly no escaping from Real Madrid, especially with their success in winning the Champions League for a record 14 times. These days, Los Blancos fans are quite familiar with the name Emirates being the sponsor in front of the club’s jersey but the first company that have the privilege of having their name on that iconic white kit is apparently an Italian household appliance Zanussi back in the 1982-83 season up until the 1984-85 season. That deal also made Madrid the first La Liga team with a shirt sponsor as no other clubs did it in the league before Carlo Ancelotti’s men.

Barcelona x UNICEF

Madrid’s arch-rival, Barcelona have a slightly different story with a shirt sponsor as they went for a long time not having one on their jersey up until 2006 when they collaborate with UNICEF, for more of a humanity effort at the time. However, that changed with them eventually moving on to Rakuten and currently signing with Spotify for a deal said to be worth 75m Euro per year for the next three years.

Manchester United x Sharp

Being one of the most followed clubs in the world, Man United are certainly a sponsorship magnet as it’s not difficult for them to get one these days. Currently, the Red Devils signed a deal with German remove access company, Team Viewer but their first-ever shirt sponsor was a Japanese multinational corporation, Sharp. United’s first kit sponsor was very iconic as the company accompanied them for nearly 20 years they started in 1982 and ended the partnership after the 1999-2000 season.

Liverpool x Hitachi

Man United’s rival, Liverpool also have a Japanese-based company becoming their first-ever shirt sponsor back in 1979 when The Reds signed an agreement with Hitachi. That deal didn’t become as iconic as United’s though as both parties only collaborated for three years.

AC Milan Signed First Shirt Sponsor Before Getting Kit Manufacturer Deal

AC Milan x Pooh Jeans

Serie A giant, AC Milan had an interesting sponsorship route as they actually managed to sign a shirt sponsor before getting an equipment supplier deal. In 1981, the Rossoneri struck a one-year deal with Pooh Jeans as their main shirt sponsor despite no kit manufacturer agreement. Milan produced their own jersey under an in-house company called, Linea Milan before eventually getting sponsored by a small Italian sportswear brand Ennere in the 1982-83 season.

Juventus x Ariston

Milan’s rival, Juventus also started their kit sponsor journey in 1981, and the company that they collaborate with is a local Italian brand Ariston. Both parties’ collaboration lasted for eight seasons before the Bianconeri switch their shirt sponsor to UPIM starting from the 1989 - 1990 season. Meanwhile, since the 2012-2013 season, the Old Lady have struck an exclusive partnership with Jeep as their kit sponsor.

Bayern Munich x MAGIRUS DEUTZ

Bundesliga outfit, Bayern Munich have been widely known to have Deutsche Telekom’s “T” logo as their kit sponsor for more than 20 years since their agreement started in 2002. However, the telecommunication company are not the first to sign a kit sponsor deal with the Bavarians as that would be Magirus Deutz, a German company that manufactured trucks, fire engines, and buses but was bought by Fiat in 1975.

Even though those clubs have moved on from their first kit sponsors, the history and memory remain especially for some teams. The likes of Manchester United and Barcelona spent many years and won plenty of important titles while still wearing their first-ever shirt sponsors.

Do you still remember those top clubs' first kit sponsors? Are there any other iconic clubs' first shirt sponsors you remember? Share your opinion below.