Spanish Liga champion Barcelona has bolstered its commercial portfolio by signing a three-year deal with EA Sports and a four-year agreement with Italian designer Fashion Box’s Replay brand.
Under the EA Sports deal, the company will become the club’s exclusive and official videogame partner.
Through the association, EA Sports has performed 3D scans of the faces of Barcelona players Xavi, Gerard Piqué, Cesc Fàbregas, Dani Alves and Andres Iniesta for use in Fifa 14, the latest version of the company’s football game, which will be officially released in September.
Barcelona superstar Leo Messi will be the main focus of the new version of the game. The Argentinian forward will be appearing on the box cover and will also feature in the global marketing and communication campaign to present the new product.
Barcelona will also host an exclusive videogame tournament to determine the best Fifa 14 player on the squad. Through this partnership, Barcelona and EA Sports will also be developing a series of interactive activities to entertain and engage fans both at the Camp Nou and around the world.
Barcelona is the latest addition to EA Sports’ football club portfolio. Fellow Spanish Liga club Valencia is also an EA Sports partner, along with Tottenham Hotspur and Manchester City from the English Premier League; Borussia Dortmund from the German Bundesliga; Olympique Lyonnais and Paris Saint-Germain from Ligue 1 in France, and AC Milan of Italy’s Serie A.
Meanwhile, Barcelona’s four-year deal with Fashion Box will make the Italian designer and its Replay brand the official sponsor of clothing and footwear for the club.
Under the deal, Replay will create an official clothing line for Barcelona’s first team, along with smart casual wear. Replay said it will invent a new way to use denim, creating a unique and exclusive superlight suit for Barcelona players.
Fashion Box chief executive, Matteo Sinigaglia, said: “This is the first time that a denim company have moved into the world of football. We are certain that the product we are developing for them will surprise the whole world.”
