On 12th September, Florentino Pérez announced a three-year partnership agreement with the National Bank of Abu Dhabi, the leading bank in the United Arab Emirates, which he termed a "strategic alliance with one of the most prestigious institutions in the world".

As a measure of how seriously Real Madrid are taking the whole thing, four first-team players, each representing a major European market, were also present during the unveiling: Toni Kroos (Germany), Karim Benzema (France), Gareth Bale (the United Kingdom) and Dani Carvajal (Spain).

One of the flagship items announced at the event was a brand-new National Bank of Abu Dhabi credit card that doubles as a Real Madrid membership card. Images of this new product have now surfaced, revealing that it features an edited version of the regular 'Los Blancos' badge, with the cross - a Christian symbol - above the crown removed so as to avoid causing offence or discomfort among Muslim customers.

As Florentino put it a couple of months ago, "I know that the local people experience every match in a special way and that our links with the UAE are constantly growing stronger. This agreement will help the club to keep conquering the hearts of followers in the United Arab Emirates". And from the looks of things, the club is willing to compromise on aspects of its identity in pursuit of these new fans.