Posts Tagged ‘Clutches’

Endorsements block a ‘major factor’ in Ronaldo’s move

• Ronaldo could earn ‘at least £85m’ in commercial deals
• Sir Alex Ferguson admits winger wanted to leave United

Cristiano Ronaldo’s frustration with Sir Alex Ferguson’s reluctance to encourage Manchester United players to exploit their commercial potential was a major factor in the 24-year-old’s desire to leave Old Trafford, industry sources say.

It is a scenario that echoes the experience of David Beckham, whose departure to Real Madrid in 2003 was influenced by Ferguson’s view that his off-field profile was distracting focus from the team.

Ferguson last night admitted he had been fighting a losing battle to keep Ronaldo from Real’s clutches, saying: “He wanted to leave, it’s as simple as that. He was going to go some time. We’ve done well to keep him for so long.”

Mary-Ellen Field, a leading expert in commercial and licensing rights, told Observer Sport that Ronaldo’s £80m move will open up a huge range of previously restricted commercial options and will allow him to earn “at least £85m” from endorsements over the next decade.

“Ferguson’s view that [commercial exploitation] takes a player’s mind off the game is valid,” Field said. “However, the contract between the player and licensee means they usually have to work 20 days a year at most.

“With any brand building, whether it’s a person or product, the more positive exposure you get, the more valuable your brand becomes. It would have been beneficial for the club and player to get as much exposure as possible.”

In 2002, United signed a 13-year £300m contract with Nike that allows the company to control the club’s ­global licensing and retail operations. believes that if Ronaldo had been able to develop, for example, his own perfume brand, like Beckham’s lucrative Pure Instinct, it would have been mutually favourable. Despite being the world and European player of the year, Ronaldo’s only major deal is a recent agreement with Castrol, in contrast to Beckham’s blue-chip partnerships with Armani and Adidas. “There is no downside. The player is happy with his endorsements, and the club can sell the product and get the mark-up – website sales are huge,” Field said.

Once Ronaldo’s current commercial worth of £18m is added to his basic salary at Madrid – a five-year contract should earn him at least £45m – with the correct off-field management the player could accumulate more than £175m by the time he is Beckham’s age, 34. Beckham is ­currently worth around £125m.

Simon Chadwick, professor of sport business strategy and marketing at ­Coventry University, said: “United have a greater desire for on-field performance, driven by Ferguson. From the people I speak to at Real regularly, there is a much greater sense that Madrid is an entertainment brand rather than a football club.”

Florentino Pérez, Madrid’s president, has said that the deal for Ronaldo will be paid for through improving “our accounts by increasing the club’s ­economic value”. This will be achieved by Ronaldo and the Spanish club’s other new acquisition, Kaká, being aggressively marketed in developing markets, including Asia, as Beckham was when he signed for Real. Madrid estimate that his four years at the Bernabeu boosted shirt sales by 137%.

And in contrast to United, Ronaldo and Kaká will be encouraged to develop their individual commercial activities beyond Madrid’s own in-house deals, to expand their profiles globally.

Surprisingly, Ronaldo has not ­registered his name as a trademark, which Beckham, as most high-profile sports stars do, did early in his career. It is thought Ronaldo’s advisers, acting on legal advice, decided this was too expensive, though it would cost him little more than two weeks’ wages.Last July, Jorge Mendes, Ronaldo’s agent, signed with CAA, the American agency whose clients also include Steven Spielberg, Brad Pitt and Beckham, but has yet to yield any deals. Towards the end of 2007, Ronaldo was approached by a ­consortium, via GE Finance, which was interested in developing his commercial interests. Mendes signed a letter of intent, but by last summer that had been cancelled, which left Ronaldo disappointed.

Madrid’s investment ­strategy appears to be set to continue with reports last night suggesting they are close to signing Valencia’s David Villa in a £34m deal. It would take the club’s outlay on players this month to more than £170m.

Meanwhile Ronaldo has indicated that any negative reaction to his move will merely spur him on. “I love it when people jeer me. I love to see the hate in their eyes, to hear the insults. It doesn’t bother me,” he said in an interview with the French magazine So Foot which was given before his move to Madrid and will be published this month. “It’s true lots of people hate me but there are even more who love me and who support me. I feel bad only when I play badly. Fortunately, that happens rarely.”

Premier League: Cesc Fábregas becomes captain of Arsenal as well as inspiration

Cesc Fábregas spoke last night of the "great honour in being made captain of one of the biggest clubs in the world". Arsenal will be hopeful his appointment can keep him out of the clutches of one of the others. Barcelona are expected to test the Catalan's commitment to life in the Premier League at the end of this season and, while Arsène Wenger may regret the discord generated by William Gallas' last, ill-conceived team-talk, the out-going skipper may actually have given the club its best chance yet to retain its most inspirational player.

The Spain midfielder will be buoyed by what had long appeared an inevitable elevation. This was a natural choice. Fábregas has been Arsenal's most consistent performer in recent seasons, an old head on young shoulders to cajole the best out of the club's many young players, and might have taken the armband in the summer only for Wenger to pursue the continuity offered by Gallas. When fit, the 21-year-old is guaranteed a place in the side. His manager spoke of a "shared responsibility" yesterday to encompass all in the dressing room, but more telling was his insistence that: "For me, the captain is the voice of the club towards the outside."

Fábregas can provide that voice. Where Gallas was always prone to sudden outpouring of emotion, whether in print or in the centre circle at St Andrew's, the Spaniard has a level-headed approach. "It is a proud moment for me," he said. "I know it's a big responsibility but, together with my team-mates, I know we have the spirit and commitment to get back to winning ways and to fulfil our potential."

Dynamo Kiev, this evening's opponents, will be beatable opponents to kick-start his captaincy having not won in England in eight visits and Arsenal are unbeaten in 21 home games in the Champions League. More challenging will be Sunday's trip across the capital to Chelsea where a title challenge must be revived.

Other trials lay ahead. Wenger will be desperate to retain Fábregas, a player introduced to the first-team at 16 having been enticed from Camp Nou in the autumn of 2003, though talk of Barcelona's interest in re-signing the midfielder has been persistent. The player himself will need to be persuaded that Arsenal's young, promising players boast the ability to glean the silverware that has eluded the club since 2005. The responsibility of captaincy convinced Thierry Henry to stay when Barcelona first came calling; it must prove as much of a tie to Fábregas.

"I never put any doubt on his commitment to the club, and that was one of the reasons [he was made captain]," said Wenger. "It's important you are the voice of the club to the outside and your commitment is not questioned. I don't know how it will be accepted or not by the fans, but I made the decision because I thought it was the right one. He has the leadership qualities, he has experience and the confidence of the rest of the team. He is probably my youngest captain; certainly here after Tony Adams, Patrick Vieira, William Gallas and Thierry.

"I don't know whether this will make it easier to keep him, frankly. When you make that decision you don't think about that. It's a very young side and you need a player who is nearly sure to play every game, and in a very young side you don't have many of those. But captaincy is not especially linked with age. Most of the time the responsibilities make you grow, make you become more mature and you deal with the situation."

The move has found instant support from within and outside the club. The former Arsenal midfielder Ray Parlour claimed Fábregas was "probably the only man for the job". Gaël Clichy - at 23, one of the more senior members of the squad - welcomed the fresh start the appointment represents. "Tony Adams was given the armband at 21, and now he's considered one of the greatest by the fans," said the full-back. "I hope Cesc will do the same. When he started playing, people said Cesc was too young to have responsibility in the team. But he's shown he's a key player and fully deserves this honour.

"This is a new start. Cesc's performances over the last couple of years have been fantastic, so he's a good choice and all the players will give him all the support he needs to be one of the best. He's a major player here. While we can't hide what's happened, we want to put it behind us. Let's get behind Cesc."

From Adams to anarchy

Tony Adams 1988-2002

Uniquely successful, with four league titles: Adams was adored by the North Bank. After he kicked alcoholism some team-mates sniggered about his quasi-religious conversion to theatre and piano-playing - but never to his face

Patrick Vieira 2002-2005

Fans relished his bone-jarring courage, all the more so after he won the league in his second season. But it also left him suspended for big games, with 35 yellow cards and three reds in three seasons

Thierry Henry 2005-2007

Was the captaincy just a lure to keep the club's best player? Was a forward well placed to read the game? Young players also muttered about his aloofness

William Gallas 2007-2008

A central defender but there the comparisons with Adams end. Threw a hissy fit at Birmingham last season and finally his public sniping at team-mates forced Wenger to remove him last week.

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