Aon Corp (AOC.N), the world's largest insurance broker, has agreed a four-year deal to sponsor the shirts of English Premier League champions Manchester United from the start of the 2010-11 season. Manchester United will replace the three-letter logo of one American insurer, now emblazoned on players’ shirts, with the three-letter logo of another American insurer.
United's current 14 million pounds ($23.25 million) a year deal with U.S. insurance giant American International Group (AIG.N) runs out in June 2010.
Details of the agreement were not disclosed but U.S. media reports said it was worth about 20 million pounds a year.
"We are delighted to be entering such an important relationship with a company of the stature of Aon and to have its logo adorn our shirts from the start of the 2010-11 season," United chief executive David Gill said in a statement.
"We look forward to being closely aligned with the world leader in risk management, a firm which shares our values and is an exciting partner for Manchester United.
"Today's announcement clearly strengthens our position as one of the biggest clubs in world football."
“They are the brand that everyone wants to associate with,” said Nigel Currie, director of Brand Rapport, a sponsorship agency in Guildford, England.
David Gill, chief executive of Manchester United, said the deal “clearly strengthens our position as one of the biggest clubs in world football.” United won the Premier League title last month for the third year in a row to continue their domination of English football but they lost 2-0 to Barcelona in the Champions League final to end the season on a disappointing note.
The deal represents a coup for Aon, which has secured one of the most prestigious advertising deals in sport with United's huge global fan base making them one of the top prizes in sports sponsorship.
Patience, flair and a brilliant game of keep-away prevailed over force Wednesday night when Barcelona dominated Manchester United, 2-0, to win the European Champions League title, Europe’s most prestigious club soccer tournament.
Barcelona controlled the ball for long stretches with its unhurried and clever passing, attacked incessantly, held tight with a patchwork defense and made a tactical switch at forward, placing Lionel Messi as a central striker and shifting Samuel Eto’o to the right wing. Eventually, Messi drifted into midfield to secure possession. Both he and Eto’o delivered goals as Barcelona won its third European title and second in four years.
It will be left to Barcelona’s supporters to gleefully debate whether this is the Catalans’ greatest team, now that the first-year coach Pep Guardiola has guided his squad to the Spanish League title, the Spanish Cup and now the European Cup with a style that is familiarly elegant and ebullient. For a night, it was enough for Barcelona fans — seemingly the vast majority among 72,000 at Olympic Stadium — to celebrate with cameras that flashed like fireflies as the trophy was held aloft in a shower of confetti.
“We are not the best team of history, but we have played the best season in history to win three titles and the way we won,” said Guardiola, 38, who has won a European championship both as a Barcelona player and coach.
Manchester United, meanwhile, lost for the first time in 26 Champions League matches and failed to defend its 2008 title. Even with four attackers in the second half, the English Premier League champions often seemed lethargic, uninvolved — at times unrecognizable — after missing several chances in the early minutes of the game.
So strong and constrictive on most nights, the Manchester United defense was unable to subdue the organized and creative Barcelona attack, which flowed with the inevitability of water through any available crease. Sir Alex Ferguson, the Manchester manager, dismissed his defense as “shoddy.”
Guardiola had urged his Barcelona players to be daring, and after the victory said, “We wanted to say we played and were not being cowards.” He added, “There’s nothing more dangerous than not taking risks.” Pep Guardiola dedicated Barcelona's 2-0 victory over Manchester United in the final of the Champions League Wednesday to Italian football legend Paolo Maldini.
Barcelona’s one apparent weakness, a depleted defense, never became a liability. Dani Alves and Éric Abidal were suspended and Rafael Márquez was shelved with injury. But Guardiola found a reliable solution, placing Carles Puyol at right back, Yaya Touré in central defense alongside Gerard Piqué and Sylvinho at left back. They remained impenetrable.
Guardiola made another adroit move up front. Last year in the Champions League semifinals, Manchester United’s left back, Patrice Evra, had handcuffed Messi on the right wing. On Wednesday, Guardiola countered with Messi as a central striker, moving Eto’o outside. Later, Messi retreated into midfield and, along with Xavi Hernández, helped Barcelona control the ball as if it were tethered to his foot. Sometimes, it seemed minutes passed before Manchester United could regain possession from the smaller, more dexterous Barcelona players.
“If they get in front of you, they’re very difficult to beat,” Ferguson said. “They can keep the ball in areas of the field where it is difficult to protect.”
Early on, it was Manchester United that threatened to dominate. After missing several inviting opportunities, though, the team deflated, never regaining its spirit and vigor.
In the second minute, forward Cristiano Ronaldo drove a low, hard free kick that bounced and could not be smothered by Victor Valdés, the Barcelona goalkeeper. Park Ji-sung, Manchester United’s tireless winger and the first Asian player to participate in a Champions League final, pounced on the rebound, but a Barcelona defender slid across his path. The shot deflected high over the crossbar. Ronaldo later lashed two shots wide, unfulfilled chances that Manchester United could not afford.
“Losing that first goal was decisive for us,” Ferguson said. “We couldn’t recover from that.”
Barcelona quickly struck back. In the 10th minute, midfielder Andrés Iniesta, recovered from a thigh injury, played the ball to Eto’o on the right flank. Eto’o, a Cameroonian forward, cut sharply inside, turning the defender Nemanja Vidic, leaving him corkscrewed and helpless. Eto’o punched the ball into the net off the left hand of Manchester United goalkeeper Edwin van der Sar, giving Barcelona the only goal it would need.
After halftime, Manchester United clearly needed an infusion of energy, but neither the replacement forwards Carlos Tévez nor Dimitar Barbatov could kick-start a somnolent engine.
And soon the game fell out of reach.
In the 70th minute, Puyol stole a pass for Barcelona, beginning a magical sequence that finished with Xavi chipping a superb pass from outside the area to a waiting Messi, six yards from the goal, unattended by two defenders. He headed the ball over van der Sar’s head and Barcelona took an insurmountable 2-0 lead. Now it is Messi, not Ronaldo, who is certain to gain favor as the world’s greatest player.
“We didn’t have to win to know he’s the best,” Guardiola said.
In the end, though, Barcelona did win, primarily by getting the ball and refusing to give it back.
“For us, we are a horrible team, a disaster team, when we don’t have the ball,” Guardiola said. “We need the ball. We got it.”
Arsenal cruised past Villarreal 3-0 at the Emirates Stadium to make it through 4-1 overall and set up a mouth-watering tie between the two Barclays Premier League sides.
Theo Walcott, Emmanuel Adebayor and Robin van Persie (penalty) were on the scoresheet as Arsene Wenger's youngsters defied their injury worries in defence to wrap up the tie.
The Spaniards then had Sebastian Eguren dismissed and the hosts were able to conserve energy for their FA Cup tie against Chelsea at the weekend.
So now old rivals Sir Alex Ferguson and Wenger must battle it out over two matches for the right to go to the Rome final on 27th May. Chelsea play Barcelona in the other semi-final tie.
Chelsea kept their title hopes alive after surviving an incredible Bolton Wanderers fightback in a seven-goal thriller at Stamford Bridge.
Chelsea were 4-0 in front and cruising to victory when coach Guus Hiddink replaced Didier Drogba and Frank Lampard in the 65th minute.
Two goals from Drogba, a Lampard penalty and Michael Ballack's first league goal of the season had put Chelsea in total command.
But battling Bolton scored three times in 11 minutes through Andy O'Brien, Chris Basham and Matt Taylor to give the Blues an almighty scare.
The result leaves Chelsea just four points behind leaders Manchester United at the top of the Barclays Premier League.
United also have a match in hand but Chelsea are determined to keep the pressure on Sir Alex Ferguson's team.
Bolton had the better of the opening exchanges with Chelsea looking a pale shadow of the side that demolished Liverpool in the Champions League in midweek.
The home side were almost caught out in the second minute when a free-kick from Taylor was palmed away by goalkeeper Petr Cech as it arrowed towards the top corner.
Chelsea's best response was a 20-yard drive by Drogba that Bolton goalkeeper Jussi Jaaskelainen did well to keep out.
Federico Macheda climbed off the bench to snatch victory for the second time in a week as Manchester United clawed their way back to the top of the Barclays Premier League table.
The 17-year-old Italian needed just 45 seconds to claim three points for his side with a 76th-minute winner at Sunderland and send the reigning champions back above Liverpool, who had briefly headed them as a result of their 4-0 win over Blackburn Rovers.
His intervention could not have been more timely with the Black Cats having dragged themselves back into the match courtesy of Kenwyne Jones' 55th-minute equaliser, his first goal since 7th February.
United looked to be in complete control when Paul Scholes capped a dominant start by heading the visitors into a 19th-minute lead, but they allowed the Wearsiders back into the match in front of a partisan crowd of 45,408.
Sir Alex Ferguson's troops will now regroup ahead of their testing Champions League quarter-final, second leg trip to Porto on Wednesday evening knowing they remain a point clear of Liverpool with a match in hand in the race for the Barclays Premier League title.
By contrast, Sunderland face a monumental home fixture with fellow strugglers Hull City at the Stadium of Light next weekend with their top-flight status very much in the balance.
Manchester United have retained their top position in the Premiership after a dramatic match at Old Trafford on April 5 that saw the scoreline swing several times. United opened the scoring in the 13th minute with Cristiano Ronaldo on target from an indirect free-kick inside the penalty area, but lost their grip and managed to fall behind after a 31st minute John Carew and a 58th minute Gabriel Agbonlahor goals.
United regrouped and pushed everything they had forward in attack to bridge the gap with Liverpool, who were two points ahead of them in the table, having won a day earlier against Fulham. Ronaldo then scored again in the 80th minute and debutant Federico Macheda scored a third in added time, insuring that Alex Ferguson's men would claim the three points and intensify the drama at the top of the Premiership.
The win put United back on the top of the table, a point clear of Liverpool and with a game in hand. After the match, Ferguson was quoted as saying by the United website: "The surge towards the end of every game at United is always great and you always hope you can get something out of it."
"It doesn't always happen, but the drive and determination to do so is always there. We were seven or eight players short against Villa, but you could see how the young lads were prepared to go right until the very end.
Regarding Macheda, Alex Ferguson said: "His whole contribution was fantastic from the minute he arrived. He made some penetrative runs and was a threat all the time; I actually thought he could have had a penalty when he went for header not long after he came on."
"I said 'well done' to him afterwards, but he'll need to keep his feet on the ground because he'll get a lot of publicity over the next few days and he'll need to handle that."
15 Nicolas Anelka (Chelsea) Cristiano Ronaldo (Manchester United)
13 Steven Gerrard (Liverpool)
12 Kevin Davies (Bolton Wanderers)
11 Frank Lampard (Chelsea) Gabriel Agbonlahor (Aston Villa) Peter Crouch (Portsmouth) Robinho (Manchester City)
10 Amr Zaki (Wigan Athletic) Emmanuel Adebayor (Arsenal) Darren Bent (Tottenham Hotspur)
9 Carlton Cole (West Ham United) Robin van Persie (Arsenal) Matthew Taylor (Bolton Wanderers) Wayne Rooney (Manchester United) Fernando Torres (Liverpool) Djibril Cisse (Sunderland) Jermain Defoe (Tottenham Hotspur)
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Aon Corp (AOC.N), the world's largest insurance broker, has agreed a four-year deal to sponsor the shirts of English Premier League champions Manchester United from the start of the 2010-11 season. Manchester United will replace the three-letter logo of one American insurer, now emblazoned on players’ shirts, with the three-letter logo of another American insurer.
"We look forward to being closely aligned with the world leader in risk management, a firm which shares our values and is an exciting partner for Manchester United.
