More millions for Beckham
Friday, 12 April 02, 06:03 PM · Comments(0)
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David Beckham knows all too well what a World Cup can do to a footballer's image. Beckham's advisors are chasing £5m worth of sponsorship. After all, he headed to France 98 as a 23-year-old earmarked for greatness and returned despondently three weeks later to consider playing his football in disgraced exile overseas. Happily for Beckham and his country, England's most famous footballer recovered from the trauma of his sending- off against Argentina in St Etienne to such an extent that he is now arguably the nation's most popular player. It is this popularity which Beckham's advisers will exploit to the tune of about £5million if he can help England to a successful tournament in the Far East this June. |
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Quite simply, this summer's competition holds the key not only to Beckham's destiny as a footballer but also to off-field riches that, even by today's obscene standards, he could never have dreamed of. David Beckham, the England captain, already committed to lucrative contracts with the likes of adidas and Pepsi, will be perfectly placed to renegotiate if things go well in Japan - and the numbers will go only one way. 'Contracts expire. I am sure that David's sponsors will not want that to happen in the wake of a good World Cup. The potential is enormous for him.' As well as a playing contract from Manchester United that earns him about £1.2m each year, Beckham enjoys a £3m annual income from adidas and further benefits from Pepsi, Police Sunglasses and Rage Software, manufacturers of a computer game carrying the 26-year-old's name. It is, however, his unique appeal to consumers with little or no interest in football that makes him so marketable. He has already transcended cultural boundaries like few players before him. Nick Craggs, adidas's head of communication, said last night: 'The difference between David and our other blue chip clients, such as Raul or Zinedine Zidane, is that his name and image performs outside of football both in the UK and internationally. 'The way he came through difficult times after the last World Cup also makes his performance and his potential exceptional.' Beckham will meet up with some of the adidas stable in the coming weeks to film a commercial ahead of the World Cup and he will parade a new football boot, which he has been testing in the Premiership, during next Wednesday's England game against Holland. On Thursday, he will attend a Police Sunglasses photo shoot in London, adding credence to suggestions that a change of hair-style was based on far more than a whim. It is, however, Beckham's contract at United that concerns him most at the moment as he looks to ensure a future at Old Trafford. But he added: 'Although their investment in football-related products is not heavy, the global awareness of players like David could still increase massively all over the world. That will have obvious knock-on effects.' |
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Victor Verhelst said:I have three names for you my friend:
Ronaldo, 2 times world champion and all...
Duki said:Where's ronaldo my friend. he needs to be n1 here or n2 at least although I wou...
Brasil said:I think ronaldo is the 2 or 3 of the list. He's champion twice, and all time le...
dan said:I Don't know if he is the best but Ronaldo deffidently deserves to be on the sa...
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WorldCup2002
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News, notices, Top 10 lists and results for the 2002 FIFA World Cup held in Japan in Korea.
On Top 10 World Cup Players