After more than 25 years as partners, FC Barcelona will continue to wear Nike kits for the foreseeable future as the two entities reached a new extension agreement.
The new partnership agreement will take effect this season and bring forth a “new collaborative strategic partnership model between the two organisations”.
Whilst neither FC Barcelona and Nike have revealed any terms and details regarding the extension, Barcelona news outlet Mundo Deportivo has reported that the extension will last over 14 seasons, concluding at the end of the 2037/38 season.
Mundo Deportivo also revealed that FC Barcelona will earn up to €121m per season as part of the extension, bringing in a total of €1.7bn across the 14 years.
As part of the new partnership extension, Nike will be a main partner of the Blaugrana and its official technical partner across its men’s and women’s football teams, as well as youth teams.
Nike will also hold a key strategic role in the club’s retail operations and will work with Barça’s licensing and merchandising divisions to develop tailored plans for product creation, supply chain and global distribution.
The US sportswear brand first began manufacturing playing kits for FC Barcelona in 1998 and have been partners ever since. During this time, the La Liga club has won 12 league titles, 4 UEFA Champions League titles, 7 Copa del Rey titles and several more trophies.
In 2016, both parties renewed its partnership which was worth €105m per season with €50m in potential add-ons. This was at a time where FC Barcelona was at the height of its powers, with a frontline of Lionel Messi, Luis Suarez and Neymar Jr. However, the club has suffered both on-and-off the pitch since then.
With significant debt mounting, coupled with the departures of Neymar Jr. in 2017 and Messi in 2021, the club has yet to win the UEFA Champions League since 2015 and its financial troubles have seen the club take unforeseen measures to meet La Liga’s financial regulations.
This is why the long-term Nike extension is pivotal to the club’s future financial security, but the 25 year relationship was close to ending after FC Barcelona President Joan Laporta admitted that it was “not ideal” last summer.
Whilst looking to create new alternative methods to raise funds, Laporta spoke on his frustrations with Nike as, according to him, they were not fulfilling the terms of its current contract.
This led to widespread rumours that FC Barcelona was on the verge of cutting ties with Nike and manufacturing its own kits to boost profits.
Despite this, the Nike extension comes timely as the club’s future prospects on the field look brighter compared to recent years with the arrival of Hansi Flick as manager this past summer.
Under Flick, FC Barcelona sit top of La Liga with 11 wins from 13 games, led by young talent such as Lamine Yamal, Pedri and Pau Cubarsí, alongside established players like Robert Lewandowski and Raphinha.
Whilst it’s almost certain that Flick’s tenure at the club will not coincide with the Nike 14-year extension, the short-term success of his reign as manager, coupled with potentially world-class players for the future, have culers dreaming of a return to Spanish and European glory once again.
