While the biggest names in the sport bring in huge paychecks just from playing the game, the wide world of products and marketing often provides them with just as much income if not more. In fact, it’s extremely rare to find a top-tier player without external sponsorship from a few big brands.
Some industries are more closely tied with footballers than others, and while many are the kind of products people would expect, a few are likely to be surprising to most.
Sportswear
Probably the most common and most public of sponsors, those companies making sports gear, from clothing to boots to equipment, are the ones most readily available for players to get a contract with. Players are able to lend their authority to an item, endorsing the quality by wearing it without having to say a single word about it in many cases.
Some of the biggest names in football work with the most well-known brands like Nike or Adidas, while some slightly smaller brands like ASICS may focus on more regional athletes to better fit their target markets. The scale of the deals depends very much on the public profile of the player, although for the biggest names the deals easily reach the millions every year.
Related: Football Sponsorship In Nigeria
Casino
When the World Cup itself has an official betting partner in the list of sponsors, then you know that casino sponsorships are a fundamental feature in the world of football as well. While the industry may not be obviously linked to football, it overlaps into both the sports betting area, as well as a similar target audience in the marketing of both.
The players are most often used as brand ambassadors for betting sites of all kinds, whether that’s sportsbook providers that allow betting on football matches as well as other sports, as well as those that focus on slot and table games. While they are commonly grouped together under the gambling banner, bookies and casinos are not just separate from each other but are also heavily varied in how they approach games and marketing even within the same type. Whether it’s an online casino with pay by mobile options for players or an in-play sports betting site designed for crypto, all the biggest operators prioritize ease-of-access for their vast range of customers.
Food and Drink
It makes sense that something called a ‘sports drink’ would like to tie itself to leading sports figures as well, although in many cases these sponsorships focus more on American sports stars. Multiple big names from the NBA have historically been tied to Pepsi-produced Gatorade for example, including many at the top of the game.
Speaking of the top of the game, though, that particular brand does have one football player to boast about: Lionel Messi, the Argentinian widely considered to be the greatest player who has ever lived. His global reach is so massive that he has eclipsed most if not all of the other athletes on Gatorade’s roster.
This is not an exhaustive list of course, and the full list includes everything from fragrances to high-end clothing lines and much more. The examples above are some of the most prominent, however, and as new generations of players come through, it will be fascinating to see who they sign up with.
