After a 23-year long partnership, Boca Juniors and Nike have officially parted ways, and stepping in to fill the void is none other than adidas. Officially announced via a short video, the new decade-long deal between the Argentinian side and the German brand will be worth at least $100m.
The lucrative deal sees the rekindling of a relationship that lasted from 1979 to 1993, with Nolan then filling the gap before Nike took over in 1996. But the return of adidas, in which Maradona emerged as a talent prior to his move to Barcelona, will see Boca raking in a massive US$10 million+ a season, on top of a US$3 million signing on bonus for the club. And critical to the agreement is the fact that the Argentinian side will reportedly also receive all royalty income from shirt sales, both nationally and abroad – something the club were very keen on as they don’t currently have outlets in Europe and the US.
With Boca’s bitter rivals, River Plate already wearing adidas, it means that the German brand now dominate the Argentinian scene, sponsoring arguably the two most popular teams in the country. But in securing the club-record kit partnership, Boca have one-upped River Plate, who reportedly receive US$6.5 million a year from their deal, with bonuses and royalties taking it to US$9 million, still short of the guaranteed annual sum Boca will get.
Expect to see the first adidas Boca Juniors kit from the new partnership any day now...
