Barcelona behind Real Madrid in terms of kit manufacturers and shirt sponsorship contracts

Barcelona have found it difficult to financially compete with arch-rivals Real Madrid in recent years with the club suffering from the after-effects of economic mismanagement.

It has impacted the Catalans when it comes to the recruitment department as well. Even though Barça remain a huge draw for players, finances leave their hands tied while going after their desired targets, whereas Real Madrid have had no such issues.

Barcelona pale in comparison

A recent report from Lukasz Baczek has revealed that Real Madrid earn a staggering amount of €200 million+ from their deals with Adidas, Emirates and HP.

The €70 million per year deal with Emirates coupled with the €120 million annual agreement with Adidas solidifies Real Madrid’s financial supremacy. In addition, HP pays €15 million per year for the sleeve sponsorship.

In contrast, Barça earn only €57.5 million from Spotify as the shirt sponsor, whereas kit sponsor Nike offers €105 million per season including add-ons.

Barcelona have already made quite a fuss over Nike’s lack of remunerations, which might just lead to a better deal for the Catalans.

Spotify, meanwhile, pays €57.5 million for the shirt sponsorship deal. But unlike Emirates, the audio streaming company also hands Barcelona €5 million each for title rights for Camp Nou and training kit sponsorship.

Barcelona are in talks with Nike over an improved deal (Photo by Getty Images)

Meanwhile, Barcelona’s sleeve sponsor Ambilight TV offers €8 million per season. But that payout could increase to €14 million in the fifth year.

But even so, the club pale in comparison to Real Madrid’s commercial firepower. And it has been reflected in the way the two clubs have behaved in the market in recent years.

Real Madrid are closing in on the capture of Kylian Mbappe, regarded as one of the best players in the world. Barcelona, on the other hand, would require various departures simply in order to return to the 1:1 rule.

A silver lining?

There are, however, certain green shoots that might bode well for Barcelona going forward. As mentioned earlier, the club are in advanced talks with Nike over a better deal.

The new deal could increase the current payout of €105 million per season to €120 million – which would be on par with what Real Madrid receive from Adidas.

Barcelona’s legacy on the pitch remains unparalleled, but to maintain competitiveness in an increasingly commercialized sport, Barcelona must enhance its off-field endeavours to match the financial prowess of its rivals.