Football and auto-manufacturers have a unique relationship. Almost all of the major European clubs are associated with carmakers in one way or another. No team exemplifies this more than English Premier League behemoths Manchester United. They recently signed a shirt sponsorship deal with Americans Chevrolet for a record-breaking £559 million (Rs 55,900 crore) deal spanning seven years which also reportedly involved all first team players with the opportunity to take their pick of Chevrolet rides as part of the deal. Chevrolet definitely seem to be making the most of this deal because this year, with former United and France striker Louis Saha appearing at their stall at the recently held Auto Expo 2016 in Delhi NCR.
There as part of a Facebook promotional campaign, a few winners from this contest had the unique opportunity of taking a selfie with this legend at the stall, playing a virtual game of footy with him, and even receiving signed shirts from the football legend.
Speaking of the event, Jack Uppal, VP, Marketing & Customer Experience, General Motors India said, “From the beginning of our partnership with Manchester United more than two years ago, we pledged to bring fans closer to the game. This unique meet and greet opportunity with Saha further demonstrates our commitment to football in India.
Saha too made all the right noises regarding the event, adding, “I would like to thank Chevrolet India for giving me this unique opportunity to meet Indian fans. It’s great to see that Chevrolet is honouring the club’s past and involving our supporters in such an innovative way. I am delighted to see so many enthusiastic fans in India.”
Saha isn’t the first footballer to make an appearance at the expo either, because Bayern Munich superstars like Thomas Müller, Mario Gomez and Holger Badstuber dropped in at Audi’s stall way back at the 2012 Auto Expo. And who knows, maybe in its next iteration, the Auto Expo could even play host to the one and only Leo Messi. He is after all, global brand ambassador for Tata Motors. Fingers crossed.
