Intel chip in to bring Barcelona’s Inside out

Barcelona have agreed a sponsorship deal with Intel that would see the chipmaker's logo printed on the inside of players' shirts.

The idea behind the unusual positioning of the "Intel Inside" branding is that it will be revealed when a player lifts his shirt to celebrate scoring a goal, Barca officials told a news conference in the Catalan capital on Thursday.

They insisted, however, that players like Lionel Messi, Neymar and Andres Iniesta will be under no obligation to display the logo, which will be added to the shirts in time for Saturday's La Liga match at home to Villarreal.

The logo of Qatar Airways, Barca's other shirt sponsor, will remain on the outside of the jersey, said Manel Arroyo , a club director responsible for media and sponsorship.

Arroyo declined to reveal how much the deal - which runs for four and a half years and includes an option for an extension - was worth, saying it was “confidential”.

Spanish media and Forbes magazine reported Intel, who employ 4,500 people in Ireland, will pay Barca $25 million (€18.5 million).

As part of their first foray into soccer sponsorship, Intel will also provide technology to players and coaching staff as well as the recruits at Barca’s academy, officials said.

Deborah Conrad, Intel’s chief marketing officer, said the decision to partner with Barca had been taken after a search for suitable “passion points” that the company hoped to tap into to help connect them with consumers.

Barca have one of the most active social media communities in sport as well as hundreds of millions of fans around the world, Conrad noted.

“We did not want to put the players under any obligation to show the logo a specific number of times but we do know that such goal celebrations are a big part of the culture of the sport,” she told Reuters.

She also declined to reveal how much the deal was worth.

Barca's other sponsors include sporting goods manufacturer Nike and carmaker Audi.

The concept is not entirely new, In 2009, another Spanish side, Getafe, teamed up with their shirt sponsor Burger King, who printed the colourful portrait of the face of their franchise on the inside the of the club's jersey.