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 their trophy room. He also watched first-team training, later greeting manager Carlo Ancelotti and captain Nacho.
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Although officially the visit was not business-related, Cook still met 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 Spanish club from the inside and, interestingly, Cook not only stopped to say hello to Ancelotti but chatted with Manu Fernandez, the head of their 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-19s side, and on Sunday evening he watched the Madrid derby against Atletico in the company of a group that included Enzo Alves, a member of Real’s under-15s and the son of the club’s former left-back and long-time Brazil international Marcelo.
As was the case when he made a similar trip to serial German champions Bayern Munich in September last year, Cook was keen to learn more about how the youth teams are managed, what their goals are and how they handled the GPS data produced 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 Real and Apple.
Long before Real reached an agreement with Apple TV to distribute the recent documentary La Decimocuarta: Until The End, they had already sounded out Cook’s firm over whether 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 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, have explored sponsorship with Apple and received a similar response. The Athletic has approached Apple for comment.
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However, Apple has enjoyed football-related commercial success through its Ted Lasso TV drama series and in 2022 the company signed an exclusive deal to broadcast Major League Soccer, the top division in the North American club game, that lasts until 2033 — a gamble that will undoubtedly have been boosted by the recent arrival of Lionel Messi at MLS side 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 sources, was key to Cook’s visit to Valdebebas this weekend. So is now the time for Apple and the record 14-time European champions 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 Real executive.
“Anything is possible. We have already collaborated with them on the documentary,” said another.
Club sources also highlight that Real broke off strategic ties with Microsoft some time ago, which could allow more freedom for an agreement with another company operating in the same sector.
Microsoft’s sponsorship deal began in 2014. It became the club’s “strategic partner” for their Santiago Bernabeu stadium, which involved the company helping provide an interactive audio guide to the venue. There was even speculation that the relationship could see the Bernabeu carry Microsoft’s name, but they stopped working together five years ago.
As of today, Real’s most valuable sponsorship deal is with Adidas, with their one with airline Emirates second. In 2019, they renewed their arrangement with Adidas until 2028, with the agreement reportedly worth an estimated €152million (£132.2m; $161m) a year.
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But the club are also looking at other options in the market. For example, last year Real signed a sponsorship deal with BMW worth a reported €7.5million a year that also saw the German auto manufacturer provide players and staff with electric cars.
(Photo: Burak Akbulut/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)