The Rakuten era begins today, July 1. Saturday marks the first day of the four-year deal with the Japanese company, which will be FC Barcelona’s main global sponsor, as signed in the Auditori 1899 last November 16, and whereby the firm’s logo will appear on the front of the first team shirt.

The agreement will stand until 30 June 2021, with the option of a one-year extension. The club will receive 55 million euros per year of the contract, which was approved by the members at December’s Extraordinary General Assembly.

Rakuten, Inc. (TSE: 4755) is one of the world’s leading internet service providers, and was founded in Japan in 1997, It offers a wide variety of products to private and corporate customers, with a strong focus on e-commerce, finance and digital content. Since 2012, Rakuten has been classified by Forbes among the 20 most innovative companies in the world, and the deal with Barça forms an important part of its plans for global expansion.