World Cup flops are commercial winners

Despite being injured during the World Cup, David Beckham has outshone fellow football superstars Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi in a global poll looking at the commercial licensing value of World Cup legends.

The research analysed the potential money players can make away from the pitch by licensing their name and image to third parties for use in merchandise, like clothing, toys, games, books and films.

A massive 61% of respondents said Beckham had the most commercial licensing value of past World Cup legends, ahead of Brazilian pair Pele (28%) and Ronaldo (4%), with Argentina coach Diego Maradona on 3%.

Amongst the current crop, five players performed well despite poor showings in South Africa. Portugal’s Cristiano Ronaldo led the way on 37%, followed by Argentine Lionel Messi on 19%, Wayne Rooney on 16%, Brazil’s Kaka on 10% and American Landon Donovan on 7%.

The global poll of licensing professionals was taken by licensing trade exhibition, Brand Licensing Europe 2010, which takes place at Olympia between 28-30 September 2010.

Jessica Blue, event director, Brand Licensing Europe 2010, said: “The World Cup is one of the biggest sporting events in the world and its players, their talents and their images have been showcased to a global audience like never before.

“The way these players license their brands is a vital part of their commercial power both during and after their football career. It will be fascinating to see how this unfolds during the final stages of the tournament and whether the final itself will give birth to a new global star.”