- Chery officially named Robert Lewandowski its Global Brand Ambassador at a signing ceremony held at the brand's European Operations Center in Barcelona on May 18, 2026.
- This marks Lewandowski's first major automotive partnership and the first individual soccer athlete tie-in across Chery's decade-plus football marketing history, a significant strategic shift from the brand's previous team and league-focused approach.
- During the event, both parties signed the partnership agreement and held a key handover ceremony for the TIGGO9 CSH, officially kicking off the collaboration.
- The deal is anchored in Chery's "For Family" brand philosophy, centered on delivering Space, Safety, and Technology for families worldwide.
Robert Lewandowski is officially the new face of Chery, one of China’s biggest automakers. The announcement was made at Chery’s European Operations Center in Barcelona, where both parties signed a partnership agreement and Zhu Shaodong, Executive Vice President of Chery International and CEO of the EU Region, handed Lewandowski the keys to the TIGGO9 CSH.
The signing is Lewandowski’s first major automotive deal and the first time Chery has centered a campaign around a single global athlete, marking a clear departure from its traditional reliance on team and league sponsorships.
Chery has previously partnered with clubs like ACF Fiorentina and the Israeli Professional Football Leagues through its Omoda & Jaecoo sub-brands, moves that fit the same broader trend of Chinese automotive investment in European football that has seen BYD align with Manchester City and MG with Arsenal.
The FC Barcelona striker, who has scored 19 La Liga goals in the 2025-26 season and holds an estimated net worth of $85 million, currently carries endorsements with Nike, Huawei, and Head & Shoulders, among others.
This automotive deal joins a growing commercial portfolio for a player still performing at the top level at 37. This is a playbook football fans are becoming increasingly familiar with. Much like Marc ter Stegen’s recent global deal with Anthbot and Enzo Fernández’s ambassador role with BingX, top footballers are becoming the go-to vehicle for global brands looking to scale fast.
Chery says the partnership reflects Lewandowski’s values of family, responsibility, and long-term vision, qualities it says align directly with its “For Family” mission.
Takeaways
This deal is bigger than it looks on the surface. Chery isn’t just signing a famous face, it’s making a deliberate bet on a single athlete to anchor its global identity, and it chose one of the most recognizable strikers in football history to do it.
For a Chinese automaker pushing hard into European and global markets, Lewandowski’s cross-generational appeal and clean personal brand make him a smart, low-risk pick.
What’s also interesting is the timing. Lewandowski’s Barcelona contract reportedly expires in June 2026, which means his club future is uncertain, yet Chery has still committed to him as a global ambassador. That says something about the commercial weight he carries independent of where he plays.
Is this the start of Chinese automakers moving away from club sponsorships and toward individual athlete deals as a primary marketing strategy in Europe? Will Chery’s “For Family” messaging actually resonate in Western markets, or is this primarily a play for visibility in Asia and emerging markets?
