Football Soccer - Barcelona training - Joan Gamper training camp, Barcelona, Spain - 21/5/16 - Barcelona's Lionel Messi attends a training session prior to Spanish Kings Cup final against Sevilla. REUTERS/Albert Gea
BERLIN (Reuters) - A battle between Adidas and Nike for dominance of the global football gear market is driving a steep rise in sponsorship payments to elite clubs - and cutting into the two manufacturers' profits.
Shirt deal inflation is reinforcing the advantage of about a dozen clubs with a global fan base - among them Barcelona and Real Madrid, the two Manchester clubs and Paris Saint Germain. These same clubs benefit from bigger revenues from broadcast rights, helping them pay for the best players.
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