River revival runs on after $10m-a-year record sponsorship renewal
BUENOS AIRES: South American champions River Plate have secured the most valuable kit deal Argentinian football history.
The agreement has extended the Millonarios’ contract with Adidas until 2021 for a total of $60m – around $10m per year.
River have thus overtaken rivals Boca Juniors’s Nike deal which is worth $8m-a-year.
In 2012 Boca renewed their Nike contract despite interest from Adidas.
River’s kit contract extension illustrates the club’s remarkable revival since its historic, first-ever relegation in 2011 under the presidency of Rodolfo D’Onofrio who succeeded Daniel Passarella in December 2013.
River were promoted, won the championship in 2014 with coach Ramon Diaz and in December of the same year, under Marcelo Gallardo, won the Copa Sudamericana (South American equivalent of the Europa League).
In 2015, River became South American champions for the first time in 19 years. They also won the Sudamericana Recopa and are currently in the semi-finals of this year’s Copa Sudamericana.
They will also compete in the FIFA Club World Cup in Japan in December. The prospect is they will face European champions Barcelona in the final.
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