With the biggest sporting events attracting interest from millions of fans from around the world, is it any wonder that the financial powerhouses of the business are all keen to get involved.

Sponsorship in sport is now common nature to supporters, with almost every major club, team and competition linked to a conglomerate in some capacity.

While these partnerships have no direct impact on sports betting markets, they can have an indirect effect on approach – with teams spending heavily in transfer markets.

Bayern Munich are the latest club to announce a multi-year deal, partnering with Adobe in a bid to create personalised experiences for fans across the globe.

Here, we look at some of the biggest football sponsorship deals in existence today. We’d be very surprised if you’ve not heard of the companies mentioned below!

PepsiCo

One of the biggest companies in the world when it comes to sports sponsorship. According to online sources, PepsiCo spend a staggering $3 billion on advertising every year – with a high percentage of that figure on sporting teams and individuals.

The company has achieved great success with sports partnerships in the past, sponsoring leagues, tournaments and signing long term deals with individual athletes.

After 17 years with Coca-Cola, LeBron James has signed with PepsiCo, which will use the Lakers star to promote the "first new drink in its energy portfolio: Mountain Dew Rise Energy."https://t.co/r8ZULxv4dX pic.twitter.com/zEeBMmLdvJ

— Sports Business Journal (@SBJ) March 17, 2021

Take LeBron James for example. He ended a 17-year partnership with Coca Cola in 2021 to become the face of PepsiCo’s Mountain Dew drink.

One of the greatest players in NBA history and one of the most marketable figures in sport, PepsiCo made an outstanding business move to acquire the basketball legend.

Red Bull

When sports fans think of Red Bull, many think of Formula One – and with good reason. Red Bull Racing have been one of the most successful teams in recent years, winning four Constructors’ Championships and five Drivers’ Championship titles.

Red Bull have been aggressive when it comes to football sponsorship. The brand purchased SV Austria Salzburg in 2005 and the rest is history – with Red Bull now owning a selection of football clubs around the world.

Avid gamers will know all about Red Bull’s football shirt sponsorship, with the famous logo proving popular on the EA Sports FIFA series.

Red Bull have also invested heavily in marketing in eSports, sponsoring almost 1,000 gaming professionals as of 2021.

Nike

According to reports, Nike spends close to £1 billion on football sponsorship deals alone. So when you throw basketball, American football, golf and tennis into the mix, you can only imagine the figure spent on marketing deals and sports sponsorship.

Nike are fortunate enough to work with some of the biggest sports figures on the planet, with the likes of Rafael Nadal, Cristiano Ronaldo and Tiger Woods on the books.

 

 

 

 

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However, Nike are about so much more than individual athletes. The iconic logo is one of the most recognisable brands in sport and that has helped them to retain market leader status throughout the years.

The Nike Air Jordan brand alone is now valued at close to $4 billion and the company are undoubtedly the first name to spring to mind when you think of a sports conglomerate.

Samsung

Spending an estimated 5% of annual revenue on advertising, Samsung place great emphasis on sports sponsorship and they even have their own sports marketing and club division called Samsung Sports.

Another company with experience in the football team sponsorship market – Samsung own K League club Suwon Samsung Bluewings. In addition, the manufacturing company own baseball team Samsung Lions and basketball team Seoul Samsung Thunders.

Samsung is officially a sponsor of David Beckham’s esports team https://t.co/xF4QJLqeR2

— SamMobile (@SamMobiles) June 21, 2021

Furthermore, Samsung have entered several individual deals with some of the world’s most marketable athletes including David Beckham, Lionel Messi and Usain Bolt.

While it may seem unusual for a company like Samsung to be so heavily involved in sports sponsorship and advertising, the manufacturing giant have build their own reputation as a world leader in this sector.

Adidas

When you think of football brands, Adidas are up there with Nike. The majority of Adidas’ marketing strategy is focused on the sport – and that comes as no surprise given their role as the official sponsor of some of the most successful teams on the planet.

Adidas are involved in league sponsorship, football team sponsorship and even supply kits for some of the biggest competitions in the world of sport. For example, Adidas are secure the official kit supplier for the NHL until 2025.

Incredibly, Adidas spend more on Futsal than they do on basketball and ice hockey – a fact that shows their commitment to football.

With partnership deals to Bayern Munich and Manchester United in football, New Zealand in rugby union and individual deals with Andy Murray, Patrick Mahomes and Aaron Rodgers, Adidas are at the very top of the sporting world.

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Many people fail to realise that the North West of England is actually a little hotbed of horse racing, with the region boasting five racecourses, six even if you include Bangor-On-Dee in North Wales, which actually does come underneath the Granada TV umbrella if we’re being pedantic.

The tracks in question are Carlisle, Cartmel, Aintree, Haydock and Chester.

Neil Watson has been attending horse racing fixtures at the aforementioned racecourses for decades now, and is the ideal person to take a walk down memory lane with when it comes to looking back at some memorable North West racing moments. 

Carlisle, the bigger of Cumbria’s two racecourses, stages both Flat and Jumps racing throughout the calendar year. Do you have any fond memories of any races you’ve witnessed whilst at the track? 

I do know it's always been cold whenever I've been to Carlisle but I remember seeing Al Dancer as a novice hurdler in October 2018 and thought he looked decent, then four months later he won the Betfair Hurdle at Ascot which was nice to see.

I also remember seeing a Paul Nicholls novice chaser called Silsol win in heavy ground one November which he backed up with another at Haydock Park, he beat some old favourites in those two races too!

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Quirky Cartmel is an absolute must for any racegoer to experience at least once in their lifetime wouldn’t you say? Can you recall the most exciting or eventful race you’ve seen there? 

Has to be Better Times Ahead in the 1998 Chas Kendall Chase. All the ground that he made up was astonishing for a 12-y-o on that long run in!

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Aintree is of course the home of the world’s greatest steeple chase – the Grand National. Like myself, you’ve been to a fair few, but which one of them ultimately gave you the biggest dose of goose bumps? 

There’s so many to choose from, but Auroras Encore in 2013 had me going absolutely giddy.

I recall telling my much missed friend Nigel the Saturday before at Haydock that I liked his chances because for the previous four years Sue Smith's horse had always won a race in April.

Nigel was relieved when I text him to say I’d backed him at 66/1 in my horse race bets online. Tiger Roll in 2019 was also an historic moment, to be there was absolutely spellbinding.

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You’ve been a paid up Haydock member for years, which ultimately means you’ve seen some of the best horses around race over both codes. Briefly if you can, what have been the standout moments for you? 

Kauto Star's fourth Betfair Chase was a memorable afternoon when he rolled back the years. What an emotional afternoon that was!

Seeing Cue Card, Bristol De Mai and Silviniaco Conti scoring multiple Betfair Chase victories has been fun too, along with The New One who kept collecting the Champion Hurdle Trials that he ran in. All those results had a major impact on the Cheltenham races betting odds each season.

In recent times, Battaash winning two Temple Stakes on the Flat was nice to see too.

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The Chester May Festival is undoubtedly their showpiece fixture of the season, and culminates with the Chester Cup. Who has been your favourite winner of the Cup down the years?

Overturn for Donald McCain was a poignant winner because we rarely get top class dual purpose horses and he was a real headliner for the stable and it was nice for the Cup to stay in Cheshire also.

Story wise Top Cees will go down in Chester folklore and I remember Graham Goode’s commentary in 1995 going "Up towards the line, to a mixed reception".

That of course captured the moment perfectly due to Top Cees being a highly controversial winner of the race.

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*Credit for all of the photos in this article belongs to AP Photo*

 

FIRST PUBLISHED: 28th August 2022

Liverpool Equal Premier League Biggest Wins Record:

On August 27th 2022, Liverpool recorded a 9-0 victory over AFC Bournemouth at Anfield to equal the biggest wins in Premier League history.

Jurgen Klopp's side were in control from start to finish, with Luis Diaz opening the scoring with less than three minutes on the clock.

Incredibly, Mohamed Salah failed to get on the scoresheet but the Reds were unstoppable throughout and Roberto Firmino was particularly effective - scoring twice and assisting three for his teammates on a memorable day for the Merseyside club.

It might be some time before we see another 9-0 in the Premier League but we wouldn't be shocked if Liverpool were the first team to top the 10 goals mark in a fixture at some point...

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Without a doubt, the Premier League is the most exciting division in world football. Every so often, we see a performance that sends shockwaves around the globe – and that is exactly what happened when Manchester City thumped Watford 8-0 on September 21^st.

But was that triumph the biggest in Premier League history? We looked at the seven biggest margins of victory in England’s top flight since August 1992. Scroll down to find out whether City’s eight-goal thrashing is the greatest or not…

 

Newcastle United 8-0 Sheffield Wednesday (1999)

Newcastle were one of the strongest teams in English football in the late 1990s and it wasn’t a huge surprise to see the Magpies put Sheffield Wednesday to the sword.

Sir Bobby Robson had been at St James’ Park for less than a fortnight but his impact was felt instantly on Tyneside. Newcastle raced into a 4-0 lead in the first half, with club legend Alan Shearer notching an early hat-trick.

Would the Magpies take their foot off the gas? Of course they wouldn’t. Newcastle added to their lead just three minutes into the second half and went on to score their eighth and final goal in the 84^th minute to clinch a decisive success.

 

Tottenham Hotspur 9-1 Wigan Athletic (2009)

If you watched a replay of this game today, you would never have guessed that Tottenham went on to win 9-1. At half-time, Spurs were just one goal to the good.

Cue one of the craziest halves in Premier League history. A total of nine goals were scored, with eight of those for Tottenham and a solitary consolation for Wigan just before the hour mark.

Jermain Defoe was key to Tottenham’s incredible second half, with the England star scoring five goals in the space of 36 minutes. The White Hart Lane faithful were sent home happy after one of the club’s most remarkable victories.

 

Chelsea 8-0 Wigan Athletic (2010)

The first of two Chelsea wins on this list – the Blues thrashed Wigan on the final day of the 2009/10 season to secure the Premier League title in the most emphatic way possible.

Needing three points to claim their third top flight crown since 2004, Chelsea took a 2-0 lead into half-time. The Blues were in complete control at Stamford Bridge but it was about to get even better for Carlo Ancelotti’s men.

Four goals in the space of 14 minutes in the second half helped get the party mood going. At the time, that eight-goal haul helped Chelsea to break the record for most goals (103) in a single Premier League season.

 

Chelsea 8-0 Aston Villa (2012)

Chelsea gave their fans an early Christmas present against Aston Villa in December 2012. For the second time in four years, the Blues scored eight goals in a Premier League home game.

Fernando Torres set the ball rolling with less than three minutes on the clock and that goal set the tone for the afternoon. By the time referee Phil Dowd blew the half-time whistle, Chelsea were three goals to the good and cruising.

Seven different players scored for Chelsea – an incredible feat. The frustrating thing from a Blues perspective is, Chelsea could’ve potentially topped the 10-goal mark with some better finishing in the final third.

 

Southampton 8-0 Sunderland (2014)

Southampton had one of the Premier League’s most attacking teams in 2014/15 and Saints showed their offensive mettle in this clash, scoring eight goals against a shocked Sunderland in October 2014.

An own goal put Southampton in front and that was a sign of things to come for Sunderland as Saints ran in seven more goals without reply. It was the club’s biggest victory since an 8-0 drubbing of Northampton Town in 1921.

Sunderland conceded 53 goals in 38 Premier League games that season – with 15% of those coming at St Mary’s. Southampton will be hoping to hit the magic eight mark again in the near future…

Manchester City 8-0 Watford (2019)

It was only a matter of time until Manchester City joined this list. Pep Guardiola’s men raced into an early lead, with five goals in the first 18 minutes at the Etihad Stadium.

With the Blues dominating from the first minute, neutrals were hoping that City could hit double figures but it wasn’t to be. Still, expect the Premier League champions to win by a similar margin at some point again this season.

At the time of writing, Watford are rooted to the bottom of the Premier League table. The Hornets will be looking to avoid another good hiding at the hands of City when the teams go up against each other in May.

 

Manchester United 9-0 Ipswich Town (1995)

Manchester United are still cream of the crop when it comes to the highest Premier League win, with Sir Alex Ferguson’s side putting nine past sorry Ipswich Town in March 1995.

The Red Devils built up a commanding advantage in the first half but it was their exploits in the second 45 that attracted attention. With Ipswich on the ropes, United showed no mercy as they raced into an 8-0 lead with 72 minutes on the clock.

Andy Cole completed the rout with his fifth goal in the 87^th minute and that victory will live long in the memory with United fans. It might be some time before we see the Red Devils dominating like that again.

 

*Credit for the main photo belongs to Rui Vieira / AP Photo*

Mido’s time in Premier League betting wasn’t exactly league-altering.

He scored just 22 Premier League goals across spells with Tottenham, Middlesbrough, Wigan and West Ham, yet there were fleeting moments when the Egyptian looked capable of becoming a long-term, effective striker at the Premier League level.

From a starlet at Gent to a prodigy duelling with Zlatan Ibrahimovic at Ajax, Mido had short stints with Celta Vigo, Marseille and Roma (of varying success) before signing with Tottenham on loan in 2005.

Spurs desired a skilled big man to accompany Jermain Defoe and Robbie Keane up front, and Mido took to the Premier League with ease.

A tally of 13 goals was more than respectable in his debut campaign, yet even midway through the season, Mido again found himself at the centre of conflict.

Having bickered with Ronald Koeman in Amsterdam earlier in his career, Mido claimed the Egyptian coaching staff wanted him out of the squad after he was withdrawn from a knockout match in the Africa Cup Of Nations. 

Spurs made his deal permanent at the end of the season, but he was not content in north London for long. That promising, impressive first season in the Premier League proved to be a blip, securing Mido’s status alongside other one-season wonders. 

The north London club acquired Dimitar Berbatov, nudging Mido slip into a backup role and his motivation reportedly waned. Once again, he was in conflict with management as his relationship with Martin Jol fractured.

For that one season, Mido enhanced his team’s betting chances, just as he did on occasion for Ajax and throughout his time with Marseille. 

Other teams involved in Premier League predictions bought into Mido’s raw ability. His combination of size, strength and technical ability combined for a tantalising potential, an image of the complete modern centre forward.

Instead, he scored just eight Premier League goals after leaving Tottenham, failing to make a mark at Middlesbrough, West Ham or Wigan.

In retirement, Mido acknowledges his unfulfilled potential, but takes a philosophical view on his playing days.

“I think could have been better and could have been worse. But I’m proud of what I’ve done. I’ve played for some great clubs, had very good relationships with my teammates and made very good friends until now.

"And I think this is the most important thing about football: to build relationships and to have friends through your career."

Since retiring as a player in 2013, the former Spurs striker has tried his hand at management and frequently features as a pundit. Mido, on and off the pitch, is perhaps a player who would have benefited from his career coming a decade later.

He continued, “Players who are playing now, in my opinion they are more focused on their game. Now football is different, with social media and the attention around the game.

Happy 32nd birthday to former Tottenham and West Ham forward Mido. He scored 22 Premier League goals in 94 matches. pic.twitter.com/hQw6i2IbJ0

— Squawka (@Squawka) February 23, 2015

"They take good care of themselves. I wish we had this attention when I was playing. I remember when I scored a goal in Europe it was written in Egypt two days after. So it’s different. We were a bit isolated.”

Where many one-season wonders are an outlier campaign in a player’s career, Mido’s first year with Tottenham was not meant to be a peak.

Michu and Andy Johnson exceeded expectations for a year, while Mido played at a level which was in-keeping with the expectations for a player of his obvious talent. 

If anything, Mido’s one standout Premier League season was a point of frustration, a representation of what could have been.

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