Real Madrid will play a friendly match in Bangkok next year as part of its sponsorship deal with Chang Beer.
Thai Beverage signed a THB500 million deal with the Real Madrid and Barcelona, by far the two most important teams in the Spanish Primeral Liga. The company already sponsors Everton in the English Premier League, but the worldwide fan base of the two Spanish teams far outstrips the English club’s. Singha Corporation made the first big move by a Thai beer into the European football market by sponsoring Manchester United and Chelsea.
Real Madrid ambassador Emilio Butrageno explained why Real Madrid chose Chang: “We want to extend our fanbase in Asia so we decided to join hands with Chang. The skill gap between Asian and European players is now closer than ever and I believe that in the future Asian players will have a chance to play for us,” he told The Bangkok Post.
The vice president of Barcelona Javier Faus hopes to find a Thai Lionel Messi.
“There is a high chance that we will bring some young Thai players to train at Barcelona or we will send our coaches to train them in Thailand. Of course, if they’re good enough, they can join our team,” said Faus.
The partnership between ThaiBev, Barcelona, and Real Madrid was announced in a press conference earlier this year that was attended by football greats Fabio Cannavaro and Edgar Davids.
