Barcelona have announced a deal which will see Japanese company Rakuten become the club s main global partner and shirt sponsors from the 2017-18 season.
The agreement, which also sees Rakuten named global innovation and entertainment partners , will ensure the brand s name appears on Barca matchday jerseys for an initial four years, with the option of a fifth.
We are delighted with this fantastic partnership, which will see one of the world s premier sporting clubs join forces with a truly global innovation company which can bring expertise in big data, communications and e-commerce to support Barca s future successes, club president Josep Maria Bartomeu said in the club s statement confirming the deal on Wednesday.
The agreement with Rakuten – who already have involvement in football through their ownership of J-League outfit Vissel Kobe will be ratified at an extraordinary meeting of club members in the coming weeks .
Bartomeu: The deal began at a dinner hosted by Gerard Piqué at Hiroshi Mikitani s house in San Francisco in 2015.
— FC Barcelona (@FCBarcelona)
Rakuten will replace Qatar Airways as shirt sponsors, with the new deal worth €55million per season.
That means the deal is worth just less than Manchester United s £53m-per-year world-record agreement with Chevrolet, although there are bonuses available for Barca – €5m for Champions League success and €1.5m for winning LaLiga.
The Qatar Foundation and then Qatar Airways have been involved in sponsorship of Barca for over six years and it has taken the club over a year longer than initially expected to find their replacement.
The deal began at a dinner hosted by Gerard Pique at [Rakuten CEO] Hiroshi Mikitani s house in San Francisco in 2015, revealed Bartomeu.
