The day after Apple launched its new iPhone 15, company chief executive Tim Cook appeared at Real Madrid’s headquarters in Valdebebas. The visit caused something of a surprise.
In images posted by Cook to his Twitter account, he was seen holding a club jersey alongside Madrid president Florentino Perez in the club’s trophy room. He also observed first-team training, later greeting manager Carlo Ancelotti and captain Nacho.
Although officially the visit was not business-related, Cook still met with the club’s most important executives — including senior directors Jose Angel Sanchez and Manolo Redondo, as well as the recently appointed head of retail and licensing Alex Wicks, who also serves as head of partnerships.
The Apple delegation was keen to get to know the club from the inside and, interestingly, Cook not only stopped to say hello to Ancelotti but chatted with Manu Fernandez, the head of Real’s youth academy, too.
What an honor to spend time with the legendary @RealMadrid team and their youth team players. Thank you for the warm welcome to Spain! 🇪🇸⚽️ pic.twitter.com/zwgTLa1eKX
— Tim Cook (@tim_cook) September 23, 2023
He also spoke with Alvaro Arbeloa, the manager of Real’s under-19 side, and on Sunday evening he watched the Madrid derby in the company of a group that included Enzo Alves, a member of Real’s under-15s and the son of legendary left-back Marcelo.
As was the case with his visit to Bayern Munich in September 2022, Cook was keen to learn more about how the youth teams were managed, what their goals were and how they handled the GPS data during matches and training sessions via iPad.
But Cook’s visit should also be understood in the context of a recent history of developing relations between Apple and Real Madrid.
Long before Real reached an agreement with Apple TV to distribute the recent documentary La Decimocuarta: Until the End, the club had already sounded out Apple to see if there was a possibility of a wider sponsorship deal. That is according to sources familiar with those talks, who, like all sources cited here, preferred to remain anonymous to protect relations.
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This is something Apple has never done with a football club. A Real Madrid source believes this is partly because the company thinks it could negatively affect its image with customers who support other teams. This same source also said other clubs, including Barcelona, had also explored sponsorship with Apple and had received a similar response. _The Athletic _has approached Apple for comment.
However, Apple has enjoyed football-related commercial success through its Ted Lasso TV series and in 2022 the company signed an exclusive deal to broadcast Major League Soccer that lasts until 2033, a gamble that will undoubtedly have been boosted by the arrival of Lionel Messi at Inter Miami.
What a match! Amazing to be at the derbi madrileño to see two of Spain’s best teams, @realmadrid and @atleti, go head to head! Great to watch with @IvanaAndresSanz, Enzo Alves Viera, and friends. ⚽️ pic.twitter.com/w7fzdqINzg
— Tim Cook (@tim_cook) September 24, 2023
This growing interest in football, according to Real Madrid sources, was key to Cook’s visit to Valdebebas this weekend. So is now the time for Apple and Real Madrid to reach an agreement? Well, not exactly. But it certainly remains one of the club’s aspirations.
“Hopefully one day it will be done,” said one Madrid executive.
“Anything is possible. We have already collaborated with them on the documentary,” said another. Club sources also highlight that Madrid broke strategic ties with Microsoft some time ago, which could allow more freedom for an agreement with a different company in the sector.
Real Madrid and Microsoft’s sponsorship deal began in 2014. Microsoft became the club’s “strategic partner” for their Santiago Bernabeu stadium, which involved the company helping provide an interactive audio guide. There was even speculation that the relationship could see the ground carry Microsoft’s name, but they stopped working together in 2018.
As of today, Madrid’s most valuable sponsorship deal is with Adidas, with their Emirates airline deal second. In 2019, Real renewed their arrangement with Adidas until 2028, with the agreement reportedly worth an estimated €152million (£132.2m; $161m) a year.
But the club is also looking at other options in the market. For example, last year Madrid signed a sponsorship deal with BMW worth a reported €7.5million a year that also saw the German manufacturer provide players and staff with electric cars.
(Top photo: Burak Akbulut/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)
