Friday, September 24, 2004
Becks no longer a sponsor's dream
Wayne Rooney has overtaken David Beckham to become the English player who is most attractive to potential sponsors.
Thierry Henry: More attractive than Rooney, a new report 'proves'. (Photo/GettyImages)
Beckham may currently earn more than his international team-mate from sponsorship deals but City firm Field Fisher Waterhouse, who provide an annual list of the players deemed most desirable by international corporate giants, claim the England captain is 'over-branded' and they rate Rooney's potential higher despite recent negative publicity surrounding the teenager.
Neither player though matches Arsenal's French striker Thierry Henry who comes out top of the list, which has been devised by the firm's head of pricing strategies Michael Stirling, with Rooney next ahead of Real Madrid trio Ronaldo, Beckham and Zinedine Zidane.
Stirling told the Press Association 'We advise the corporates on which players they should go for and try to identify what makes a player the hottest property.
'It is a lot more than performance on the pitch, it is about how well the ordinary person on the street recognises them, how charismatic they are, their global appeal, even how they dress.
'Thierry Henry is the hottest property right now - he looks great, he's the right age, he plays in a sexy position and he has everything.
'At first we were not sure about Rooney but there has been so much interest in him that he has to be included high in the top five.
'He appeals to a certain market - a large car manufacturer would be ideal - and signing for Manchester United also means that his profile will shoot right up.
'Beckham has certainly been top in the past but we feel now that he is over-branded and out of favour.'
Stirling has also drawn up a mini-league of up-and-coming players and youngsters to watch in the more distant future.
United's Cristiano Ronaldo heads that list ahead of Kaka, AC Milan's brilliant young Brazilian, Juventus' Swedish striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Arsenal's Jose Reyes and Roma's French defender Philippe Mexes.
The youngsters to watch are: Freddy Adu, DC United's Ghana-born 15-year-old American who signed a one-million-dollar deal with Nike when he was just 14; Carlos Tevez, the Boca Juniors striker who was the star of Argentina's Olympic champions last month; Robinho, the exciting Brazilian talent who plays for Santos; Arsenal's Spanish 17-year-old sensation Cesc Fabregas; Dong Fangzhou, the teenager Chinese striker signed by Manchester United and now on loan at Royal Antwerp.
