The Current Longest Running Shirt Sponsorships
Published on
by Dominic Mills
Front-of-shirt sponsorships are a staple of almost every single club football shirt in the world. And just like every shirt has its unique design and story, so does the sponsor that emblazons it.
In this feature, we explore some of the most recognisable and iconic shirt sponsors in world football as we take a closer look at the current longest running front-of-shirt sponsorships in Europe’s top five leagues.
In this Insight:
The evolution of football shirts
Football has evolved from an industrial pastime to the world’s most universal sport.
At the heart of this transition, always front and centre, is the football shirt. Starting off as a uniform, only to be worn during matches, football shirts have become both a fashion and sporting statement that is worn everywhere, from the training grounds to the streets.
Seeing football evolve from a sport to a lifestyle, businesses have learnt to understand how fans, football and business can live side-by-side and have utilised the power of shirt sponsorships to build their brand.
Below, we explore the brands who have been present the longest in each of Europe’s top five leagues.
Arsenal & Emirates
Premier League
2006 - present
As the world’s most watched sports league, the Premier League attracts a cumulative TV audience of over three billion fans each season (Nielsen).
Wanting to share their brand with this truly global audience, Dubai-based airline company Emirates became the official shirt sponsor of Arsenal in 2006.
Behind only Liverpool and Manchester United, Arsenal are the third most successful club in English football history and with the club looking to enter a new era in 2006, Emirates sought out a long-term partnership, which included the sponsorship of Arsenal’s new stadium.
20 years later, the Emirates brand is now synonymous with Arsenal, with the airline sponsoring both the club’s shirt and stadium ever since and a whole generation of fans growing up only knowing the ‘Emirates Era’.
As well as the transition to the new stadium, the ‘Emirates Era’, has seen trophy successes, with the women’s team clinching 34 trophies, including two UEFA Women's Champions Leagues and the men’s team winning eight.
Wolfsburg & Volkswagen
Bundesliga
1991 - present
With Volkswagen featuring on Wolfsburg’s shirts for more than 35 years, the car manufacturer’s relationship with the German giants is the longest current shirt sponsorship in any of Europe’s top five leagues.
Although Volkswagen have been the club’s official shirt sponsor since 1991, their relationship with the club stretches back to its foundation.
First established in 1945, VfL Wolfsburg was founded as a sports club for Volkswagen workers in the city of Wolfsburg.
The club has since gone on to establish itself as a mainstay of the German top division, with ‘The Wolves’ remaining in the Bundesliga since their promotion in 1997.
In addition to the club cementing themselves as a top-tier team, Wolfsburg’s consistent relationship with Volkswagen has seen the side crowned Bundesliga champions in 2009, as well as DFB-Pokal and DFB-Supercup winners in 2015.
The women’s team have seen even greater successes, with Wolfsburg widely regarded as one of the best teams in Europe, winning 20 major trophies since 2013, including two UEFA Women’s Champions League titles.
Wolfsburg and Volkswagen’s long lasting relationship is a perfect example of how businesses can employ different sporting strategies to achieve success, and with both the club and Volkswagen continuing to see great results, both parties can look forward to another 30 years of successful shirt sponsorship.
Nantes & Synergie
Ligue 1 McDonald's
1996 - present
The second longest current shirt sponsorship in Europe’s top five leagues is between Ligue 1 side FC Nantes and Synergie.
Having partnered with Nantes since 1972, the human resources company has been the official shirt sponsor of the club since 1996.
Throughout the majority of this period, the club has been a regular in France’s top division and has seen some incredible highs such as winning Ligue 1 in 2001, Coupe de France in 1999, 2000 and 2022 and clinching the Trophee des Champions in 1999 and 2001.
Founded in 1969 in the city of Nantes, Synergie has closely linked themselves to the club since the company's early days. Now, with their partnership entering it's fourth decade, both Nantes and Synergie can look back proudly on their results on the field and in their community.
Real Madrid & Emirates
Villarreal & Pamesa Cerámica
LaLiga EA Sports
2013 - present
Spain, the land of tiki-taka and home to some of the most successful teams in European football, including Real Madrid and their arch rivals Barcelona. On this list however, Real Madrid aren't joined by their El Classico counterparts, but instead by a team from a town of 50,000 inhabitants from the eastern Spain who go by the nickname of The Yellow Submarine.
Both Real Madrid and Villarreal have had their front-of-shirt-sponsors since the start of the 2013/14 season, with 'Los Blancos' teaming up with Emirates Airlines as part of the airlines wider investment in key markets including London (Arsenal), Madrid (Real Madrid), Milan (AC Milan) and Lisbon (Benfica).
Villarreal on the other hand have featured ceramic floor and wall tiling manufacturers Pamesa Cerámica on their iconic yellow shirts for nearly 15 years. As well as sharing the same shirt, the pair also share the same town and owner, with the Spanish businessman Fernando Roig Alfonso, founder of Pamesa Cerámica, purchasing the club in 1997 to boost the community, and taking them from the second division to La Liga.
The Emirates and Pamesa Cerámica eras at Real Madrid and Villarreal respectively have delivered some of the most successful years in both club's histories. With 22 trophies, including five UEFA Champions Leagues and 3 La Liga titles, Emirates are Real Madrid's most successful front-of-shirt sponsorship in history.
For Pamesa Cerámica, it doesn't get much more iconic than being front and centre as the club won its first ever major trophy in 2021, beating Manchester United to win the UEFA Europa League. European football has now become a staple of Villarreal's season with the Pamesa Cerámica logo now regularly appearing on the club's biggest European nights. What a journey!
AC Milan & Emirates
Serie A Enilive
2010 - present
Fashion and Italy go hand in hand, and Italian football clubs have carried their nation’s love affair with the fashion industry into the sporting sphere.
One club which has brought fashion to the field in particular force is AC Milan. ‘The Rossoneri’ are one of Italy’s most famous and successful clubs, having won the UEFA Champions League seven times - the second most in the competition’s history.
Emblazoned across AC Milan’s famous red and black shirt is a brand this list is very familiar with at this point, Emirates Airways. First partnering with the club in 2007, Emirates has been the club’s front-of-shirt sponsor since the 2010/11 season.
Although AC Milan haven’t always enjoyed their most successful time on the pitch during the first period of this partnership, there have been plenty of highs. These include winning two Serie A titles and consistently competing in both the UEFA Champions League and UEFA Europa League, all while showcasing the Milanese passion, style and Emirates brand to the world.
Shirt sponsorship - a lasting legacy
Football, and sport as a whole, has a greater impact on our everyday lives than many of us care to admit.
Some of our greatest moments in life are given to us by sport and it’s one of the few things that often remains constant throughout our lives.
Many businesses have understood the importance of being a part of this ever-present experience and by sponsoring sports teams, have reaped the rewards for their investment, both on and off the pitch.
As football continues to grow and become even more accessible to people all over the world, the opportunities for businesses to etch their name in sporting history become even greater.
At SPORTFIVE, we connect the biggest rights-holders in sport to the world’s leading brands.
If you want to find out more about sponsorships in sport and our work, feel free to get in touch.
