Manchester United boss
Sir Alex Ferguson's
determination that his players not cash in on their off-field
profile was key to Cristiano
Ronaldo seeking a move to Real
Madrid, it has been claimed.
It is a scenario that echoes the experience of
David Beckham, whose departure
to Real Madrid in 2003 was
influenced by Ferguson's view that his off-field profile was
distracting focus from the team.
Mary-Ellen Field, a leading expert in commercial and licensing
rights, told Observer Sport: "Ferguson's view that
[commercial exploitation] takes a player's mind off the game is
valid.
"However, the contract between the player and licensee means
they usually have to work 20 days a year at most.
"With any brand building, whether it's a person or product, the
more positive exposure you get, the more valuable your brand
becomes. It would have been beneficial for the club and player to
get as much exposure as possible."
In 2002, United signed a 13-year £300m contract with Nike that
allows the company to control the club's global licensing and
retail operations. believes that if Ronaldo had been able to
develop, for example, his own perfume brand, like Beckham's
lucrative Pure Instinct, it would have been mutually
favourable.
Despite being the world and European player of the year,
Ronaldo's only major deal is a recent agreement with Castrol, in
contrast to Beckham's blue-chip partnerships with Armani and
Adidas.
"There is no downside. The player is happy with his
endorsements, and the club can sell the product and get the mark-up
– website sales are huge," Field said.