Manchester United may be at their lowest ebb in half a century, finishing 15th in the Premier League last season and unable to string together successive league wins at any point. Yet the club’s enduring strength is still there to be flexed.
Although trophies continue to flow at a steady rate the vast majority of clubs would be insanely jealous of, United haven’t been successful by their own standards for more than a decade.
Matheus Cunha said it was “hard to put into words” his feelings about the club, having watched United games at his grandmother’s while growing up in Brazil. He didn’t feel that way about Newcastle, even though the Magpies can offer Champions League football this season.
Benjamin Šeško made the same choice, picking Old Trafford over St James’s Park, despite Newcastle presenting the more favourable offer to RB Leipzig. Then there was Bryan Mbeumo, who early on made clear his preference for Manchester United too, amid links with Newcastle and Tottenham Hotspur.
As much as United went backwards on the pitch in 2024–25, falling to new lows even in the post-Sir Alex Ferguson, the club remains a massive draw and few have the same international appeal. It’s a similar pattern with sponsors and commercial partners.
Last summer, United enjoyed record breaking home, away and third shirt launches. That prompted principal shirt sponsor Qualcomm, whose Snapdragon brand adorns the front of Red Devils jerseys, to quickly trigger a two-year extension to the agreement mere weeks after it began.
Meanwhile, Chelsea are starting a third straight season without a front of shirt sponsor. Even as one of England’s most successful clubs this century, the newly-crowned ‘world champions’ have repeatedly been unable to find a principal shirt partner that can both meet their financial expectations from such a deal and is seen as the right long-term fit.
Once Manchester United start getting it consistently right on the pitch too, the club could quickly become unstoppable once more.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Man Utd Demonstrate Enduring Commercial Strength by Landing Huge New Sponsor.
