The five-season sponsorship agreement is reportedly worth Eur5 million per year and sees Emirates become a partner and official airline to the Liga BBVA giant. Emirates will receive international brand visibility at the Santiago Bernabeu Stadium and Real Madrid City, the club’s training facility, as well as gaining promotional and hospitality rights worldwide.

“Emirates is a world-renowned company that has always respected and valued sport,” said Florentino Perez, president of Real Madrid. “The airline shares our belief in loyalty, effort, commitment and innovation and these common principles will create a special understanding. We strongly believe this is a strategic alliance bridging us with our many followers all over the world.”

His Highness Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum, chairman and chief executive of Emirates Airline and Group, stated: “Adding Real Madrid to our European football sponsorship line-up further enhances a superb list of European teams that we support including Arsenal, HSV, PSG, AC Milan and Olympiacos.” Salem Obaidalla, Emirates’ senior vice-president of commercial operations for Europe & Russian Federation, added: “Having launched flights to Madrid on August 1 last year, this is a tremendous way for Emirates to mark the first anniversary of the route, while demonstrating our on-going support to sports and sports followers around the world.”

Aside from European club sponsorships, Emirates is also an official partner of the FIFA World Cup.