This year, another historic partnership will most likely end, and it will be Internazionale Milano x Pirelli. In fact, Pirelli was Inter's shirt sponsor since 1995, but the deal will run out this year and it is almost certain that the contract will not be renewed. To commemorate this historic partnership we want to take a look at iconic football shirt sponsors from all around the world.
There are a ton of other famous main sponsor partnerships that lasted over a decade such as Bayern Munich x T-Mobile, Arsenal x JVC or Manchester United x Sharp, but a majority are not active anymore. What makes these shirt sponsor stories especially intriguing is that the image of club and company merge during these long partnerships and one starts to not be able to imagine one without the other.
It is quite interesting that the lines between shirt sponsorship and being a parent company sometimes fade or do not even exist at all. A very good example is Parma Calcio during the 1990s when they were sponsored by parent company Parmalat. In the end, Parma Calcio went into adminstration in 2004 and only really bounced back in 2018 when they finally returned to Serie A.
A relationship of a football club with the shirt sponsor can become too close for comfort if the main sponsor gains too much power. Parma's performance was elevated by Parmalat, but it was also the reason for the eventual downfall during the early 2000s. There are still companies that have very close ties with the football clubs they sponsor nowadays such as Schalke x Gazprom or Zenit Saint Petersburg x Gazprom. Gazprom also has a partnership with UEFA Champions League.
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Which iconic football shirt sponsor do you like the most? Did we forget any historic football shirt relationships? Let us know in the comments down below.
There are a ton of other famous main sponsor partnerships that lasted over a decade such as Bayern Munich x T-Mobile, Arsenal x JVC or Manchester United x Sharp, but a majority are not active anymore. What makes these shirt sponsor stories especially intriguing is that the image of club and company merge during these long partnerships and one starts to not be able to imagine one without the other.
Historic Football Shirt Sponsors
It is quite interesting that the lines between shirt sponsorship and being a parent company sometimes fade or do not even exist at all. A very good example is Parma Calcio during the 1990s when they were sponsored by parent company Parmalat. In the end, Parma Calcio went into adminstration in 2004 and only really bounced back in 2018 when they finally returned to Serie A.
A relationship of a football club with the shirt sponsor can become too close for comfort if the main sponsor gains too much power. Parma's performance was elevated by Parmalat, but it was also the reason for the eventual downfall during the early 2000s. There are still companies that have very close ties with the football clubs they sponsor nowadays such as Schalke x Gazprom or Zenit Saint Petersburg x Gazprom. Gazprom also has a partnership with UEFA Champions League.
AC Milan x Opel - 1994-2006
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Ajax Amsterdam x ABN AMRO - 1991-2008
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Arsenal x JVC - 1981-1999
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AS Roma x Barilla - 1981-1994
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Bayern Munich x Telekom - 2002-present
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Beşiktaş x Beko - 1988-2004
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Bolton Wanderers x Reebok - 1990-2009
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Borussia Dortmund x Continentale - 1986-1997
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Chelsea x Samsung - 2005-2015
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Club América x Coca-Cola - 1990-2005
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FC Barcelona x UNICEF - 2006-2011
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FC København x Carlsberg - 2000-present
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FC Porto x Revigrés - 1983-2003
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Flamengo x Petrobras - 1984-2008
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Inter Milan x Pirelli - 1995-2021
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Liverpool x Carlsberg - 1996-2010
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Manchester City x Brother - 1987-1999
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Manchester United x Sharp Electronics - 1982-2000
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Parma x Parmalat - 1990-2004
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PSV Eindhoven x Philips - 1984-2016
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Rangers x McEwan's Lager - 1987-1999
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Real Madrid x Teka - 1992-2001
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Schalke 04 x Gazprom - 2007-present
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SSC Napoli x Lete - 2005-present
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Tottenham Hotspur x Holsten - 1983-1995
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Which iconic football shirt sponsor do you like the most? Did we forget any historic football shirt relationships? Let us know in the comments down below.
