With Champions League right around the corner, clubs should be taking inventory of their clubs. From who their starting sides will be, the fitness of the club, what strategies they will be implementing in the potential opponents, etc. One detail that’s on every club’s mind is which one of their young talents are they going to give playing time to. Playing time that has the potential to start a legacy and big money. Players like Christian Pulisic of Borussia Dortmund, Kylian Mbappe of Paris St. German, and Marcus Rashford of Liverpool all are young talents that will be looking to garner the attention of big companies like Adidas, Nike, and even Under Armor to get their own signature clothing line or shoe deal. Let’s breakdown their performance and potential endorsement signings.
Christian Polisic
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| Source: "Christian Polisic's future is uncertain." Sky Sports |
20 year old Pulisic from Hershey, Pennsylvania is an American sensation when it comes to his ability on the football pitch. As a teenager, Pulisic made his first Bundesliga start in February of 2016 making him one of the youngest players in Bundesliga history to start a match let alone the youngest American player to make a start at a mere 17 years old. With this young talents’ ability, Pulisic, just this month, has been moved to Chelsea in a £58 million deal making him the most expensive American player of all time (BBC News). All this hype and news will garner the attention of large sport enterprises such as Nike, Adidas, Under armor, and Gatorade. While he is already signed by Nike and Gatorade, will they make a push to create his own shoe or clothing line? With Nike trying to break into the European market and attempting to fully dominate the American market, what better way to solidify their position than signing the best American football player.
Kylian Mbappe
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| Source: MacNicol, Ian. "Mappe at World cup." Getty Images |
Born in Paris, France this 20 year old sensation started garnering attention from football fans around the world at the young age of 16. Mbappe led his previous club, AC Monaco, to their first Ligue 1 title in 17 years. Recognizing this talent, Paris St. German optioned 180 million Euro for this potential superstar (Rishe). Being the second most expensive transfer in European football history, what other enterprises are going to pay big money to get him on their brand? Nike recognized this talents global superstar potential and have already signed him to a shoe deal with more signatures to come (Sportskeeda). Who else will jump into the mix? Will Gatorade try to make a move or maybe even a luxury car brand?
Sources:
“Christian Pulisic: Chelsea Sign Borussia Dortmund Forward for £58m - BBC Sport.” BBC News, BBC, 2 Jan. 2019, www.bbc.com/sport/football/46734487.
“Kylian Mbappe Net Worth.” Sportskeeda.com - Get Latest Sports News & Updates, Sportskeeda, www.sportskeeda.com/football/kylian-mbappe-net-worth.
Rishe, Patrick. “Mbappe's Millions: The Breakout Star Of The 2018 World Cup Is Destined For Endorsement Riches.” Forbes, Forbes Magazine, 16 July 2018, www.forbes.com/sites/prishe/2018/07/16/mbappes-millions-the-breakout-star-of-the-2018-world-cup-is-destined-for-endorsement-riches/#7b13f756738e.
Neymar's Growing Popularity and Endorsements
ReplyDeleteGreat Post! Neymar is easily one of the best futbol players in the world and like you said the highest paid player it’s understandable why he has so many sponsors from such huge companies. I didn’t know that Neymar has incentives in his endorsement deal contract. That is very cool and an extra push from Nike, so Neymar is always thinking about that in the back of his mind to win huge games or big awards for an extra 1 million. Since Neymar signed with PSG I assume that a huge French company will sponsor him since he is now the face of PSG for years to come.
(This is for the article about Neymar, but couldn't access the article)
I completely agree with your prediction, Cole, that Neymar will most likely be sponsored by a large French company in the near future. The question is at that point, what will Neymar ask of them since he already has such amazing offers from companies like Nike. I'm bet there are non-compete clauses in his contracts that limit him from being endorsed by too many companies. Thanks for the comment!
DeleteVery interesting post!! I think Nike made a smart move by sponsoring Pulisic. Being that he is from Pennsylvania, Nike will be getting attention from the American and European markets. I think it would be smart if they worked to create a apparel or shoe line for Pulisic, but only time will tell. I also believe that Mbappe will be a lot topic for sponsors, but it is hard to say who will end up going after him.
ReplyDeleteLindsay Reynolds
Hey Lindsay! I think that's a great point about using Pulisic to attract American markets. Typically we assume it's up to the leagues to bring football more to American audiences, however, I think the media and corporate sponsors could play a huge role as well. Thanks for the comment!
Delete(In response to "15 Athletes Who Made More Money off Endorsements than Playing")
ReplyDeleteI really enjoyed reading this post. I had no idea that some athletes were earning that much more through endorsements, rather than playing. This really shows how important it is for athletes to keep up with their reputation if they want to continue being sponsored by various companies!
Lindsay Reynolds
Lindsay, I think reputation and public image is just as important in sports today as talent itself. So much money for the industry as a whole starts with publicity, so to be able to maintain positive composure is huge to keep revenues high. Thanks for contributing to the conversation!
DeletePulisic is exactly what the soccer world has been searching for. A young relatable star from middle of nowhere Hershey PA. I remember hearing about Pulisic when I played soccer in PA when I was younger. No doubt that European soccer would love the addition of the American markets. Pulisic is the future of soccer in America as he will start playing for the United States national team I cannot wait to see him compete to hopefully get Americas National team started so more kids are interested in soccer and the entire country improves.
ReplyDelete-Andrew Stuardi
I think the fact that heard about him when you were younger is exactly the narrative the media needs to push to make Pulisic the face of football in America. America needs a person to get behind in order to love football like they do American football. Hopefully Pulisic can be our guy! Thanks Andrew!
Delete(This if for the above article but it wouldn't let me post)
ReplyDeleteIt’s very interesting to read about athletes endorsements. I wonder if players ever think that they don’t only represent the brand but the brand then also represents them as well. Neymar’s impact on the South American markets is sure to be incredibly lucrative and with the addition of him playing in Europe makes him exactly what big brands like Nike are looking for. Something I’d be curious about in the future is how much money companies like Nike and Gillette make by having Neymar represent their corporations.
-Andrew Stuardi
Hey Andrew, sorry we're having difficulties with the comments on our sites too. I'd be curious to know about the athletes perception of their partnership as well. I'd assume that if they bring in such large amounts of revenues, they should at least get some say in major decisions (maybe in the form of stock options). Thanks!
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