Huawei, the leading global telecommunications equipment company recently partnered with football star Lionel Messi through his appointment as its global brand ambassador.

Huawei Jamaica will also be utilising the brand ambassador in its local advertising and promotional campaigns, disclosed Chrysta Walker, marketing manager at Huawei Technologies.

The first leg of promotion between Huawei and Lionel Messi will be the display of billboard advertising with Messi and the Huawei Mate 8. The billboards will be erected in New Kingston, Half-Way-Tree, Hope Road, Manor Park, downtown Kingston and Portmore in the first phase of the campaign. Huawei views sport as a great arena through which people can enrich their lives and therefore the company wanted to reinforce its commitment to the sector while focusing particularly on football.

“Jamaicans, being lovers of football, we wanted to give back something that they can relate and connect to with our brand and almost everyone can relate to Lionel Messi,” Walker said.

The deal could just be the highest-paid sponsorship, to date involving a Chinese Original Equipment Manufacturer and a professional global figure. For the past couple of years, the company has ventured into investing in a number of teams and players who mirror Huaweis’ brand values. These include AC Milan, Atlético de Madrid, Arsenal and Sporting.

Huawei reportedly spent a staggering $6 million for the sponsorship. Upon announcing the news, Huawei reasoned that it selected Messi because of his impressive performance on the field, his impact on the sport and his immense popularity around the world.

“Lionel Messi will help our brand to encourage people to focus, persevere and break through; to connect with greatness, especially in Europe, Asia and Latin America, where Huawei puts great devotions,” said Kevin Ho, president of Huawei handset business.

Huawei’s sponsorship deal with Messi is not the first time that a Chinese manufacturer has contracted an artist or a superstar to be the company’s brand ambassador. Some celebrity brand ambassadors in this regard are Yang Mi for Oppo, Kobe Bryant for Lenovo and Angelababy for Meitu, among others.

Huawei is now one of the top three smartphone makers in the world, rivalled only by Apple and Samsung. The company boasts a number of flagship models and smartphone series that include the Mate, P6 and G. The company’s Mate 8 caters particularly to smart business professionals who are in the market for devices with new style. So far, Huawei has shipped around three million Mate 8 devices worldwide.