Barcelona reportedly rejected a sponsor because Luís Figo fronted its campaign
Barcelona reportedly rejected Revolut’s proposal because Luís Figo fronts a campaign recalling his controversial move to Real Madrid.
FC Barcelona are looking for a new financial partner, but according to Catalunya Ràdio, one potential agreement collapsed for reasons unrelated to money. The club reportedly rejected a proposal from Revolut because Luís Figo fronts the company’s campaign, which deliberately recalls his controversial move from Barcelona to Real Madrid.
REVOLUT WAS CONSIDERED AS A NEW SPONSOR
The Catalunya Ràdio programme “Barça reservat” reports that Barcelona had considered a partnership with digital bank Revolut in recent months. The club are still working on securing a financial-sector sponsor after their previous relationship with CaixaBank ended.
No value or detailed terms have been disclosed. Neither Barcelona nor Revolut has officially confirmed that talks were held or abandoned, so the story remains a media report rather than an announcement by either party.
FIGO REVIVED HIS MOVE TO REAL MADRID
The reported obstacle was Revolut’s advertising campaign featuring Luís Figo. In the commercial, the Portuguese former player initially speaks about the end of a cycle, exhaustion and the importance of money, clearly inviting viewers to think about his move from Barcelona to Real Madrid in 2000. The reveal is that he is promoting the idea of switching banks.
The campaign intentionally uses one of the most sensitive episodes in the history of the rivalry. According to the Catalan report, Barcelona disliked that association and ultimately decided against the proposal.
SENTIMENT OVER A POTENTIAL DEAL
If the report is accurate, Barcelona chose an unusual moment to demonstrate how seriously the club still takes its institutional memory. While seeking a financial sponsor, the decisive issue was reportedly neither the structure nor the value of the offer, but the face of an advert and a transfer completed 26 years ago.
Barcelona are entitled to assess the reputational impact of any partnership. Even so, the irony is difficult to miss: a company advertising the benefits of switching banks reportedly lost the club because it used football’s most famous switch as its marketing hook.
