The Portuguese signed with Al-Nasr in Saudi Arabia for a staggering salary. That to continue its thriving business in terms of being unable to remain competitive at a sporting level.
Vincent Chaudel is a marketing expert and co-founder of the Sport Business Observatory, an In&Sport think tank whose mission is to analyze and decipher the evolution of sport, both economically and socially. The article was written in collaboration with François-Xavier Gérard, member of the Sports Business Observatory and an expert in organizational management.
Between not qualifying for the Champions League, then a "forced" exit from Manchester United and his departure to the bench in qualifying, 2022 will be a particularly difficult period for Cristiano Ronaldo. In any case, sports. Because professionally Portuguese has carefully built a network of companies that are both diversified and prosperous. Something to reassure anyone who is worried about their future, if it was... before the news broke yesterday: CR7 signed a contract with Saudi club Al-Nasr for 200 million euros. Delve into Cesc Fabregas's optimistic outlook on Arsenal's title chances with our coverage of "Cesc Fabregas Thinks Arsenal Are 'Closer' to the Title: 'I Can Feel It.'" Click here to explore the football legend's insights into Arsenal's journey to championship contention.
The Incredible Impact of Social Media
The European end of unacceptability and the Eastern craze converge on the same diagnosis: if the CR7 is nearing the end of its sporting competitiveness at a high level, it remains profitable on a purely business level. Because now Cristiano is, first of all, a very strong brand. The five-time Ballon d'Or winner has forged many partnerships while strengthening his image and global presence. Social media posts started very early. In 2016, Hookit showed that the number of Portuguese followers on the Facebook, Instagram and Twitter platforms is 200 million, more than LeBron James, Michael Jordan, Kobe Bryant and Stephen Curry combined (187 million in total), and far more than NBA, NFL, MLB, NHL and MLS combined (126 million). It's understandable that he crushed the competition as the second most popular athlete in the world, Lionel Messi, then had "only" 122 million followers.
From the same source, 2.3 million interactions and views per post across all platforms would generate a value of $1.8 million per sponsored post. A boon for its partner brands like Nike, which didn't hesitate to sign a lifetime contract that Forbes estimated was between $22 million and $28 million a year in 2016. A rare occurrence as the swoosh brand has only done it twice: in 2015 with LeBron James for around $450 million and probably already amortized (2016 alone, the NBA player's sneaker line made Nike $400 million), and since 1988 with Michael Jordan is not under a contract, but in cooperation with his brand. Also check out: HOW TO USE LIVE SCORE TO IMPROVE YOUR SPORTS BETTING?
Juventus also had no complaints about the infamous CR7. In just 7 days after announcing her arrival in Italy, the Old Lady registered 3.4 million followers with a record engagement rate of 27.58%. In 2019, his planetary aura allowed them to sell 520,000 tunics in the first 24 hours of release for $62.4 million. Despite the fact that the club usually earns between 10 and 15% of the sale of shirts, Turin still has a net profit of about $ 9 million in one day.