Adidas and Manchester United have signed a $1.5 billion deal to supply the club with shirts and kit, underlining the enduring pulling power of the former English Premier League champions, despite a dismal last season.
The 10-year agreement is a world record for a football club and more than double the previous biggest the German sportswear company is reported to have with the Spanish side Real Madrid.
Its total value is also just $80 million less than United's owners, the Glazer family paid for the club in 2005.
Nike, the world's largest sportswear group, had sponsored United since 2002 but earlier this month pulled out of a bidding war with Adidas.
