It may have recently fallen out of the top five ranked footballing leagues on the planet, but the top flight in Portugal is home to some of the biggest teams around. FC Porto, SL Benfica and Sporting CP are regular participants in the Champions League.
The country has also given us talents such as Cristiano Ronaldo, Bernardo Silva and Bruno Fernandes, three of today’s most high-profile players in the world, making Portuguese football an obvious target for sponsors.
The Portuguese top flight is now officially named the Liga Portugal Bwin, because it is sponsored by Bwin. It has also been the subject of other significant deals, with the likes of Sagres, a beer native to the country, having involvement previously. But it is not just the league itself that can reap the rewards of sponsorship deals, with clubs and players also benefitting.
Spain and many other countries are now looking into cracking down on deals between football clubs and betting companies, but their loss is proving to be very much Portugal’s gain. Benfica, for example, the country’s biggest and most prominent club, have secured their maiden sleeve sponsor this season.
The three-year deal Benfica have agreed with sports betting operator Betano will see the company logo on the sleeve on all Benfica’s shirts worn during league and European matches. In addition, while the value of the deal remains confidential, Betano’s name will also appear around Benfica’s Estádio da Luz stadium and across the club’s digital channels such as Twitter.
Betano’s deal with Benfica is not the company’s only significant venture in Portuguese football either, with reigning champions Sporting CP also doing business with the online sports betting operator. Betano, who has been active in the country’s footballing arena for several years, is now the leading shirt sponsor of Sporting until the close of the 2022/23 campaign. In addition, they have further partnerships in place with SC Braga and CS Marítimo.
It is clear to see how vital sponsorship deals are to clubs of all sizes in Portugal and the league itself. And betting companies, such as Bwin and Betano, are playing increasingly critical roles in enabling the country’s top-flight division and the teams within it to maximise their respective revenue streams.
Sponsorship does not stop there either, as the Portugal national team, which famously won the European Championships in 2016, has a list of prestigious partners with who it works with regularly. Again, Portuguese beer brand and former league sponsor Sagres have involvement, as do the likes of global sportswear giants Nike and car rental firm Hertz.
And to finish off, players are also massive draws for sponsors, especially the likes of Cristiano Ronaldo. He is a marketing dream, so it is no wonder he too works with Nike but has other deals with the likes of Tag Heuer, Armani, PokerStars and Castrol. He has also turned himself into a brand under the CR7 banner, and in future, it is likely he too will be bringing opportunities to Portuguese football, be it his former club Sporting CP or the league itself. Watch this space.
