Inter and AC Milan, Generali a sponsor with immediate effect: all the figures behind football’s most lucrative naming rights deal

The stadium is still only a scale model and an idea, but the insurance brand has chosen to pay for the partnership from the outset.

Inter and AC Milan unveiled plans for the new stadium just 10 days ago. Since then, AC Milan have beaten Inter in a derby, and the two clubs have already brought in millions in sponsorship.

Though the new Generali Stadium is still only an idea, both clubs have already signed a financial agreement with the Italian insurance company, according to Gazzetta dello Sport.

Generali's CEO and president first confirmed that the deal would have an immediate impact on the clubs' finances. The contract now backs that up, despite its long-term nature and the enormous sums involved.

"The new Milan stadium will strengthen the city’s role as one of Italy’s great stages recognised around the world. Generali has always represented Italy internationally, and that is why we have chosen to stand alongside, from the very beginning of this exciting project, two Italian clubs with large international followings."

Generali are already an "Official Insurance Partner" of both clubs and have begun paying each club €10 million a year towards the stadium for the next five years, until its projected opening date.

Once the stadium opens, the contract, worth €650 million in total, will rise from €10 million to €15 million a year for each club over its 20-year term.

Generali will pay Inter and Milan €30 million a year for the stadium's naming rights alone, the highest sum ever for the naming rights of a single stadium.

For the first time, the two clubs' Chief Revenue Officers, Giorgio Ricci and Maikel Oettle, have taken a direct, leading role in the deal. The contract will go through Stadio San Siro, the company controlled by Nsm Holding, which Inter and Milan own equally.

Generali has sought strong ties with the two clubs as a commercial partner, but the timing of the certification of the stadium's name mattered too. It wanted to avoid "interim names" or "future confusion". The stadium bears the name Generali Stadium from the outset, a point the two clubs also factored into the sponsorship contract worth 30 million in total (15 million each).

That makes the contract effectively Europe's most lucrative for stadium naming rights alone. Spotify's agreement with Barcelona covers more than just the Camp Nou, with the stadium portion worth 20 million per season. The same applies to Riyadh Air's deal with Atletico Madrid, whose stadium portion comes to around 15 million as part of a larger overall agreement.

At 13 million, Allianz's deal with Bayern is among the other agreements, alongside Emirates' deal with Arsenal at between 10 and 15 million. Dortmund receive 11 million for Signal Iduna Park, while Juventus receive between 8 and 10 million for the Allianz Stadium.

Globally, the Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles has a deal worth 31 million, though that also includes other partnerships with the Lakers and Kings in the NBA. The figure is 28 million for SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles and 22 million for Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas. Those deals are at Generali's level, but all include additional agreements.