Content provided in partnership with
Ronaldo can be a global star.. he's as big as Tiger
Sunday Mirror, Apr 6, 2008 by KEN LAWRENCE
CRISTIANO Ronaldo can become the Tiger Woods of football and rival golf's No.1 as the most recognisable face in global sport.
Why, he even wears a red shirt. Just like Tiger.
Three of the most influential men in the art of marketing and making money - big money - reckon Ronaldo is already on course to outplay David Beckham (right) in terms of multi-millionaire, iconic status.
But one of them, sports management boss Chubby Chandler, reckons Ronaldo has the potential to fly far higher than that, starting by becoming the first pounds 200,000-aweek footballer in the world.
- Most Popular Articles in News
- The Ten Best Laptop bags
- Tata plans cheapest-ever car for Indian market
- GLOBALIZATION AND THE DEVELOPMENT OF UNDERDEVELOPMENT OF THE THIRD WORLD
- Corn is good for you; Corn is not only a tasty treat, but also a cereal that ...
- THE 50 BEST STYLISH HANDBAGS TO CARRY
- More »
Chandler believes Ronaldo, like Tiger, has the same fabulous blend of charisma and class to help him break through every boundary in sport and business.
Chandler, whose International Sports Management represents the likes of Ernie Els, Lee Westwood and Darren Clarke in golf as well as England cricketer Freddie Flintoff, says: "Ronaldo will do what Tiger has done and tick every box in the book. Woods appeals to everyone: male, female, no matter if they are golf-lovers or not. Ronaldo will be the same.
"If he was in my stable then over the next decade he'd earn pounds 150million - and that's a conservative estimate.
"He is not just a phenomenal player, he's big, handsome, has that special smile and a Latin look and that would sell him big-style in the States.
"To really cash in you have to have transatlantic appeal and boy, has he got it. Can he be the Tiger Woods of football? No doubt at all." United fan Chandler adds: "Once they said we would never see the pounds 100,000-a-week footballer.
"Well, I reckon he is on target to be the first pounds 200,000- a- week star of the game."
World-famous publicist Max Clifford goes along with every word. He says: "There is no question that Ronaldo can equal and very possibly surpass the popularity, marketability and earning capacity of David Beckham. But if he works with the right people and takes the right advice, he can be even bigger than him and be right up there with Tiger.
"The sky is the limit for him but there is one thing - he should stay with United because they are such a huge, global brand.
"If I was going to advise I'd say first to forget any thoughts, long-or short-term, of leaving Old Trafford and ignore any talk of Real Madrid.
"I would tell him to sign up with Simon Cowell and I promise you that within a year Ronaldo would be a world-wide figure off the park as well as on it.
"Football tends to be only interested in itself. Huge though Ronaldo is, he is still not known very well outside the sport. Simon, or someone with his contacts, would change all that. He'd find him placements on TV shows in the States, for instance - such as American Idol, even walk-on movie parts.
"He would place him in big charity shows. He would coach him on how to handle himself in the public glare, protect him from the wolves - which is what Simon Fuller did with Beckham."
John Holmes, founder of the SFX sports agency that oversaw Beckham's move to Real in 2003 - when he really began building the personal fortune estimated to make him worth pounds 35m - insists Ronaldo has no need to change anything. Now MD of Jon Holmes Media, he says: "The watershed for Ronaldo in terms of world marketability is not going to be now, but at the next World Cup finals.
"The Premier League is tantamount to a world league, now but the true superstars come from the World Cup.
"Increasing his profile outside of football would have to be gently, gently for me, so no artificial image-making - there is no reason right not to do anything that might diminish his natural talent and development and cost him focus.
"But provided he is careful the world can be his oyster!"
MATCH ODDS
MIDDLESBROUGH TO WIN 11/2
MANCHESTER UTD TO WIN 4/9
DRAW 13/5
LIKELY LINE-UPS
MIDDLESBROUGH: Schwarzer; Young, Wheater, Huth, Pogatetz; O'Neil, Rochemback, Boateng, Downing; Tuncay, Alves.
MAN UTD: Van der Sar; Brown, Ferdinand, O'Shea, Evra; Ronaldo, Hargreaves, Scholes, Nani; Rooney, Tevez.
LAST MEETINGS
MAN UNITED 4 BORO 1
MAN UNITED 1 BORO 1
TV TIMES
Today, live on Sky Sports 1 from 1pm, kick-off 1.30pm
Copyright 2008 MGN LTD
Provided by ProQuest Information and Learning Company. All rights Reserved.
