It’s a truth universally acknoweldged that a young star in possession of good fortune must be in want of status as a brand, not just sporting success.
Well, almost universally acknowledged, in any case. But the fact remains that sports stars are now expected – if not required – to transcend their chosen profession and move into realms never dreamt of back in the days when they were toiling away in the junior ranks.
It’s something that Gareth Bale’s agent Jonathan Barnett hinted at last week when discussing the relationship between Bale and fellow Real Madrid superstar : “[Bale’s] whole life is to be the best footballer in the world,” said Barnett.
“I don’t think he wants to be the best model in the world or the best underwear seller.”
Barnett’s words, of course, miss the essential point: that the two things are not really mutually exclusive, even for so hard-working a physical specimen as Ronaldo.
But the converse is not true: while Barcelona’s Lionel Messi has the edge over his Portuguese rival in terms of career achievements (he has seven league titles v Ronaldo’s four; four Champions Leagues against two; four Ballons d’Or to Ronaldo’s three) there is no doubt that Ronaldo is indeed the king of selling pants.
Thus, it’s not that much of a surprise to see Ronaldo beat Messi in Forbes magazine’s list of the world’s top 10 sporting superstars who are also brands.