United Arab Bank is hoping to bring some Messi magic to the country's financial sector after striking a three-year partnership with Barcelona FC.
It is the latest in a string of sporting sponsorships and endorsements to be agreed by UAE corporations this year as they seek to raise their profile and broaden their appeal among customers.
The alliance confirms UAB as Barcelona's exclusive financial partner in the UAE for three years ending in July 2016. The bank is hoping to tap into the UAE's passion for football with a range of customised Barca themed products.
UAB intends to send 1,000 customers to watch Barcelona play live in the Camp Nou over the next three years, having created a dedicated website for the promotion.
Speaking at the conference to announce the deal Paul Trowbridge, the UAB chief executive, declined to specify the value of the sponsorship deal.
"It's priceless," he said. "The sponsorship is specifically for the UAE and there is a very significant fan club here. That gives us an opportunity to connect and identify with many of the people who can be our customers."
UAB recently reported record half-year profits of Dh260 million, representing a 35 per cent increase over a year earlier, the bank said.
UAE nationals are a big part of the bank's customer base.
With Emiratis making up some 43 per cent of new customers and with Barcelona ranking among the most popular international clubs in the country, it was a natural fit.
"We wanted another linkage point to be able to reach out rather than just giving a ticket away," said Mr Trowbridge "It's a natural progression if you look at the history of Barcelona we are similar: we are long-established, but recently made a strategic decision to be in a different league, we have gone from being the smallest player out of 54 banks to a mid-range player and they have become the most successful football team in the world with the world's best player."
The bank's move comes on the back of some high profile sporting sponsorships from UAE companies. Emirates Airline began its sponsorship of Barcelona's biggest rivals Real Madrid this season, paying US$39 million per season for the honour.
Emaar benefited from the global appeal of Formula One to reinforce its position as an international developer. Last week it announced a sponsorship of the F1 Lotus team for two years. Lotus scored a win with its driver Kimi Raikkonen at last year's Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.
ascott@thenational.ae
SPECS
Engine: 4-litre V8 twin-turbo
Power: 630hp
Torque: 850Nm
Transmission: 8-speed Tiptronic automatic
Price: From Dh599,000
On sale: Now
The specs
Engine: 1.5-litre 4-cylinder petrol
Power: 154bhp
Torque: 250Nm
Transmission: 7-speed automatic with 8-speed sports option
Price: From Dh79,600
On sale: Now
Where to buy
Limited-edition art prints of The Sofa Series: Sultani can be acquired from Reem El Mutwalli at www.reemelmutwalli.com
6 UNDERGROUND
Director: Michael Bay
Stars: Ryan Reynolds, Adria Arjona, Dave Franco
2.5 / 5 stars
A%20QUIET%20PLACE
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EStarring%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Lupita%20Nyong'o%2C%20Joseph%20Quinn%2C%20Djimon%20Hounsou%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EDirector%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EMichael%20Sarnoski%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ERating%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%204%2F5%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Indoor cricket in a nutshell
Indoor Cricket World Cup – Sep 16-20, Insportz, Dubai
16 Indoor cricket matches are 16 overs per side
8 There are eight players per team
9 There have been nine Indoor Cricket World Cups for men. Australia have won every one.
5 Five runs are deducted from the score when a wickets falls
4 Batsmen bat in pairs, facing four overs per partnership
Scoring In indoor cricket, runs are scored by way of both physical and bonus runs. Physical runs are scored by both batsmen completing a run from one crease to the other. Bonus runs are scored when the ball hits a net in different zones, but only when at least one physical run is score.
Zones
A Front net, behind the striker and wicketkeeper: 0 runs
B Side nets, between the striker and halfway down the pitch: 1 run
C Side nets between halfway and the bowlers end: 2 runs
D Back net: 4 runs on the bounce, 6 runs on the full
Best Academy: Ajax and Benfica
Best Agent: Jorge Mendes
Best Club : Liverpool
Best Coach: Jurgen Klopp (Liverpool)
Best Goalkeeper: Alisson Becker
Best Men’s Player: Cristiano Ronaldo
Best Partnership of the Year Award by SportBusiness: Manchester City and SAP
Best Referee: Stephanie Frappart
Best Revelation Player: Joao Felix (Atletico Madrid and Portugal)
Best Sporting Director: Andrea Berta (Atletico Madrid)
Best Women's Player: Lucy Bronze
Best Young Arab Player: Achraf Hakimi
Kooora – Best Arab Club: Al Hilal (Saudi Arabia)
Kooora – Best Arab Player: Abderrazak Hamdallah (Al-Nassr FC, Saudi Arabia)
Player Career Award: Miralem Pjanic and Ryan Giggs
BEETLEJUICE BEETLEJUICE
Starring: Winona Ryder, Michael Keaton, Jenny Ortega
Director: Tim Burton
Rating: 3/5
The five pillars of Islam
Leaderboard
63 - Mike Lorenzo-Vera (FRA)
64 - Rory McIlroy (NIR)
66 - Jon Rahm (ESP)
67 - Tom Lewis (ENG), Tommy Fleetwood (ENG)
68 - Rafael Cabrera-Bello (ESP), Marcus Kinhult (SWE)
69 - Justin Rose (ENG), Thomas Detry (BEL), Francesco Molinari (ITA), Danny Willett (ENG), Li Haotong (CHN), Matthias Schwab (AUT)
How to protect yourself when air quality drops
Install an air filter in your home.
Close your windows and turn on the AC.
Shower or bath after being outside.
Wear a face mask.
Stay indoors when conditions are particularly poor.
If driving, turn your engine off when stationary.
Tree of Hell
Starring: Raed Zeno, Hadi Awada, Dr Mohammad Abdalla
Director: Raed Zeno
Rating: 4/5
