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Manchester United have announced their new home shirt for the 2024/2025 season with the iconic former player Eric Cantona taking centre stage once more at Old Trafford.
The new shirt is extra symbolic this year as it is the first of the Ineos era and also the first with new sponsors Snapdragon.
The previous deal with front of shirt sponsors TeamViewer was supposed to end in 2026 but the deal was brought to an end early and Snapdragon, a company owned by multinational American corporation Qualcomm Inc. struck a deal to take their place.
The Red Devils stand to make a lucrative $75million annually from the deal and, helpfully, it is not affected by Champions League qualification in the increasingly ultra-competitive race for Europe that exists in the Premier League.
The Red Devils new kit will make its first appearance in just a couple of week’s time when United take on Rosenborg in the opening match of preseason on Monday 15th July.
To announce the global release of the shirt, club legend and Sir Jim Ratcliffe’s favourite player, Eric Cantona, stars in the promotional video.
He is seen walking the streets of Manchester and popping up in nostalgia fuelled moments such as David Beckham’s sumptuous free kick versus West Ham and his own famous penalty against Liverpool in 1995 when he returned from a nine month suspension.
In the dramatic and flair-filled way that only Cantona can project, he ponders on how passion is measured and the club takes the chance to boast some of its biggest achievements like its massive trophy haul or gigantic fanbase, estimated at around 1 billion people globally.
There is even time for a quick selfie between the inspirational Sir Alex Ferguson and Cantona on the Old Trafford pitch.
Speaking on the new deal interim CEO Jean-Claude Blanc said, “the launch of our new home kit is an exciting moment before the start of every season and especially so this year as we welcome Snapdragon as our new principal shirt partner.”
“While the shirt will be the most visible symbol of our collaboration, we are looking forward to using Snapdragon’s processors to enable ground-breaking experiences for fans across the globe, deepening their engagement with the football club they love.”
Speaking on the announcement Don McGuire, Senior Vice President and Chief Marketing Officer of Qualcomm Incorporated, claimed “with 1.1 billion passionate fans and engaged followers around the world, Manchester United is one of the most celebrated names in global sport. As the Club’s new front of shirt partner, we aim to catapult the Snapdragon brand to new heights.”
With United seemingly making good progress on deals for Joshua Zirkzee, Manuel Ugarte and Matthijs de Ligt, fans will be hoping to see some new exciting summer signings holding up the new shirt in the coming days and weeks as anticipation grows for the upcoming season.
