Real Madrid increase presence in China with Alibaba deal

China’s official news agency, Xinhua, reports that the Bernabeu club have been keen for some years to sign a player from the world’s most populous country, but have been put off by the low quality of players available.

German powerhouse Bayern Munich opened its online store on Tmall in May, where it sells a variety of fan merchandise from apparel to traditional German and Bavarian products. President of the company’s marketplaces, Jeff Zhang, along with Real Madrid president, Florentino Perez, and its first string players, attended the launching ceremony, held in Guangzhou. Launched last year, Tmall Global has struggled to gain much traction across Chinese consumers, compared to Alibaba’s other platforms.

With respect to the partnership, Mr. Perez added: “Initiating this new path is an honor for us, and without a doubt, teams us up with the global player, and absolute leader in global ecommerce”. It features an interactive fitting room function so fans can choose outfits and products from their favourite players.

“Alibaba is a sales platform, we hope that we can bring more commodities of Real Madrid to China”, said Zhang Jianfeng from Alibaba Group. It will also offer a wide range of lifestyle merchandise from the sports club, which includes lunch boxes and mouse pads. In the future, special-edition or exclusive products will be offered. By joining Tmall Global, merchants can conduct business from overseas without the need for physical operations within mainland China.

Real Madrid is the first club in the world to have opened offices in China, headquartered in the Beijing capital.

Chinese fans identify with the club, with recent statistics from Mailman Group and KungFu Data assessing the club to have the highest online engagement rating among 15 competing clubs across China’s football-obssessed digital landscape.