Puma takes the leap with Portugal and Ronaldo
More than gear, Puma’s play for football’s biggest stage.
Cristiano Ronaldo’s name rang across the Allianz Arena as Portugal lifted its second UEFA Nations League on Sunday. The golden generation had delivered. Another entity struck gold with the winning Iberian side too. Puma.
In November last year, the German sports apparel company announced a long-term agreement with the Portuguese Football Federation (FPF), ending the nation’s 27-year partnership with Nike.
With Portugal on board, Puma aimed for two birds with one stone.
“Portugal, the 2016 European Champions and 2018/19 Nations League Winners, are known for their captivating style of play, which has earned them many fans all over the world and the largest number of followers on social media of any national football federation worldwide,” the announcement read.
The subtext? Betting on the Seleção das Quinas’ golden generation and Nike’s Cristiano Ronaldo.
Portugal
Before Portugal, Puma did not have any A-list national teams in its football portfolio.
Their European portfolio consists of rather dull sides like Austria, Iceland, the Czech Republic and the sometimes exciting Switzerland. Other national teams include Egypt, Ghana, Ivory Coast (AFCON champions), Morocco, New Zealand, Paraguay, and Senegal. The support for these teams does not transcend international borders like that of Brazil or Germany.
At the club level, AC Milan, Borussia Dortmund, Manchester City, Olympic Marseille and Palmeiras are some of the most recognisable brands. But like the national sides, most big names have been cooped by Adidas or Nike.
The partnership with Portugal is a significant development.
“With the Portuguese Football Federation, we have welcomed one of the world's favourite national teams into the PUMA family,” the company said in its 2024 annual report. “It was a clear example of how we want to elevate our brand by working with exceptional ambassadors.”
Sitting in seventh in the FIFA men’s ranking, Portugal has steadily built a star-studded team with incredible depth and an impressive pool of young talent. But as its galaxy of talent continues to grow, its central star has been fading. Ronaldo is, however, not your ordinary star.
Cristiano Ronaldo
The 40-year-old has captured the hearts of nearly a billion fans, and across more nations than his fellow countryman, Ferdinand Magellan may have visited when attempting to navigate the world in the 1500s (sponsored by Spain).
They say no player is bigger than the team. Digitally, Ronaldo is.
Additionally, every nation’s reach dwarfs in comparison to Ronaldo across Twitter and Facebook. Ronaldo’s following bleeds onto Portugal’s Instagram too. The country has a population of 10.5 million, but over 20 million followers on the social networking platform.
Ronaldo is one of the most bankable athletes in the world, with only Michael Jordan having a similar or stronger pull. Commercially, other sports apparel companies have struggled to emulate Ronaldo and Nike’s signature boots and apparel sales.
So how do you get a piece of Ronaldo? You make him wear yours. The art of surrogate advertising.
When Puma launched their first-ever Portugal kits in January, something was missing in the feature image.
Did you see it? The Nike swoosh on Ronaldo’s boots are hidden. Cheeky.
Following Portugal’s Nations League victory, Puma Football had two posts up on its Instagram - an inspirational video, and a carousel of images, with Ronaldo front and centre on the lead image. Puma athlete, Diogo Dalot, is on the far left in the same photo and gets a standalone image in the third frame.
Puma struck a deal with Brazilian legend Pele, who wore their boots at the 1958 World Cup in Sweden, making a statement on the global stage. Now, with Ronaldo and Portugal, Puma hopes to expand its football legacy.
“Signing a top-tier national team was one of our priorities in football and I am very excited to welcome a team as popular as Portugal to the PUMA Family,” said Arne Freundt, PUMA CEO. “Given the large number of fans all over the world and the great potential of the next generation of this squad, we are looking forward to the upcoming big tournaments such as the 2026 World Cup.”
In the air, Cristiano Ronaldo is the best. No one leaps like him. The Portuguese captain has made defenders look like bystanders. He holds the record for the highest jump in a game at 2.93m, which led to a goal against Manchester United in 2013. Iconic. And that’s just what Puma needs.
Note: While Puma has not explicitly stated that its partnership with Portugal was driven by Cristiano Ronaldo’s presence, the commercial and visual prominence given to him in related campaigns suggests a strategic emphasis.
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