Adidas, Nike, and Puma are some of the brands that have been doing everything at their disposal to sponsor the best footballers in the world.
Football boots are just one of the avenues the companies use to advertise their products with the world’s most high-profile players all associated with a particular boots brand.
TeamKenya.co.ke reveals footballers who are earning lucratively from advertising deals
Neymar-Puma (£23m)
Neymar bagged the largest individual sponsorship contract in sports history in 2020 by making a call drop from Nike to Puma.
The deal doesn’t just ghost his PSG team-mate Messi and Manchester United’s Ronaldo, it puts him above all professional sportsmen. It is not clear how long the Puma deal lasts, but it is understood to be worth double what Nike was paying him.
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Lionel Messi-Adidas (£18m)
Messi has signed a lifetime contract with the German manufacturer. The 34-year-old PSG man has his own sub-brand of boots under the straightforward title of Adidas Messi.
Cristiano Ronaldo-Nike (£15m)
Ronaldo is one of three soccer stars to have signed a lifetime deal with Nike, alongside basketball stars Michael Jordan and LeBron James.
The 37-year-old Manchester United forward may be approaching the swansong of his footballing career, but his deal should tide him over when he eventually retires, having netted him a reported £780m.
Kylian Mbappe-Nike (£14m)
Nike fought hard to get the signature of the PSG man, landing a 10-year deal worth around £140m in 2019 after out-bidding rivals Adidas.
Dubbed the heir apparent of both Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo's dominance, the 23-year-old who looks likely to leave PSG for Real Madrid this summer has been with Nike for 3 years now.
Mario Balotelli-Puma (£5m)
The 31-year-old, now plying his trade for Adana Demirspor, was one of the hottest prospects in Europe after breaking through at AC Milan. When his Nike deal expired, Puma came in and gave him a 10-year deal worth £5m, which still has two years before it expires.
Gareth Bale-Adidas (£4m)
While his fortunes on the field of play have dwindled. At his prime, the Welsh international used to be a marketing man’s dream, with EA Sports and Lucozade among the brands to be associated with him.
Antoine Griezmann-Puma (£3.5m)
Griezmann is one of the top players representing Puma in Europe. Even before moving to Barcelona, he was already representing the brand and extended his £3.5m-a-year boot deal with the German brand in 2015.
Puma honored him by releasing a limited edition boot, called the Future 4.1 NETFIT Grizi, and priced at £229, in 2019 to mark his 10-year anniversary with them.
Paul Pogba-Adidas (£3m)
The Frenchman is one of the biggest marketing tools in world football owing to his potential and his regular presence on social media. He signed a 10-year deal worth around £30m with Adidas which expires in 2024.
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