At the beginning of the century, there was barely a glimpse that the future of companies and their path would grow through digitalization. And even less so in small and medium-sized companies, which barely had the resources to explore this avenue. However, the creator of Fútbol Emotion, Javier Sánchez Broto, liked to think about the future.
As a result of a business vision with a medium and long-term perspective and an unusual nose for business, he founded Soloporteros in 2001, which his brother Carlos, current CEO, would later join. At that time, this company was dedicated exclusively to material for goalkeepers and was born solely as a website for a store located in a garage in Zaragoza of just 30 square meters. Their growth has been such that they have been named by Banco Santander as SME of the Year for the province of Maña in 2022.
At a time when electronic commerce was practically non-existent, they opted for this route and combined it with their great passion, football. The father of this pair of brothers was part of several Aragon teams and even wore the shirt of the Maña team. And even Javier, the ideologue of Fútbol Emotion, became the goalkeeper of teams like Real Zaragoza, Celtic FC, Villarreal CF, Málaga CF, Hércules CF or Getafe CF. “All companies were information companies at a digital level and we were already born with a very omnichannel version, of physical store and e-commerce,” explains Carlos Sánchez Broto.
exponential growth
Many were skeptical that this venture would succeed, for sticking only to sales for goalkeepers and for focusing on the digital channel. Now, the Sánchez Broto brothers have broken all the predictions and have shown that this project, initially risky, had a future.
Carlos Sánchez Broto poses with sports equipment available at Fútbol Emotion.BS
After just over 20 years of operation, Soloporteros has been renamed Fútbol Emotion and expanded its offer to the entire sports ecosystem. In just over two decades they have gone from having three employees to having 500 on staff and from a small 30 square meter store to a 7,000 square meter warehouse and 5,000 square meter offices in the capital of Aragon. Many clients trust this company, a fact that has led them to reach more than 3 million followers on their social networks.
“From the first years when we barely had a turnover of one million euros, the sales objective for this year is to almost reach 90 million in turnover. It is a company that is practically doubling sales every two years,” explains Carlos Sánchez Broto.
deserved recognition
This vision of the future and the adoption of digital from the beginning of the project have been recognized by Banco Santander. The banking entity has named Fútbol Emotion as the SME of the Year in the province of Zaragoza in the 2022 edition of the SME Awards that it organizes together with the Chamber of Commerce. An award that is the culmination of a support that goes back to the beginning, since Banco Santander, as a “full-fledged partner”, has been with this SME from the beginning of its journey “not only in financial matters, but also in the trajectory and the needs that we may have,” indicates Carlos Sánchez Broto.
“Banco Santander is present in financial matters, in the trajectory and in the needs that we may have”
This support is part of the entity’s commitment to small and medium-sized businesses, which make up 99% of the Spanish business fabric and are the main driver of employment. Banco Santander promotes all types of measures, such as specific financing and advisory programs, to promoting the internationalization and digitalization of four million SMEs.
With very humble origins, their vision of the future, innovation, perseverance and passion for the product they sell have positioned them as leaders in the Spanish market. For this reason, when asked about the future, they think big: “Why not, with healthy and humble ambition, be world leaders,” says Carlos Sánchez Broto.
Learn about Banco Santander’s initiatives to support SMEs and companies.