Now that Microsoft chairman Bill Gates has made a six
percent investment in Spanish building giant FCC, he is setting his sights on
naming rights to Real Madrid's venerable Santiago Bernabeu stadium, the world's
most valuable sports team, according to a Spanish newspaper report.
The Santiago Bernabeu could get Microsoft branding,
according to a report.
Real Madrid president Florentino Perez unveiled four
renovation proposals for the revered Santiago Bernabeu earlier this month,
which he said would bring the stadium "into the 21st century."
Madrid shirt sponsors Fly Emirates were believed to be
the front-runners for the Los Blancos’ home ground, but according to a report
in El Confidencial, Gates is believed to be negotiating naming rights as well.
Real Madrid is valued at 3.3 billion dollars as the
world's richest sports team, according to Forbes. In January, business advisory
firm Deloitte said that Real Madrid was the first club in any sport to surpass
650 million dollars in revenues in a single year (2011-12 season). The Wall
Street Journal reported this week that Emirates Airlines is set to extend its
jersey sponsorship with the club at a price of 39 million dollars a year.
Real Madrid and Bill Gates already have a philanthropic
partnership in Latin America and the Caribbean.
Culled from ESPN
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