Chapter 11

Global icons

Cue the rock music. In the dressing room, a man is visible from behind, getting ready. Black trousers, studded belt, worn boots, leather jacket. He grabs an electric guitar and puts on aviator sunglasses before heading out. It’s Luis Suárez, and the crowd chants his name. The music playing in the background is ‘Born to be Wild’. Fade to black, followed by the Pepsi logo.

This TV advert is just one example of how the Uruguayan has become a big money-maker. Just like Messi and Ney. They are global icons and ambassadors for a slew of brands. They have converted their personality and achievements on the pitch into a product that can be exported to the furthest corners of the world, reaching a global audience. They are extremely bankable, selling and promoting everything imaginable, from sportswear, banks, gambling sites, videogames and soft drinks to mobile phones, sweets, comics, TVs, sunglasses and fragrances … the list is practically endless – and so are the profits.

Nowadays, income generated from publicity appearances represents a significant percentage of an elite footballer’s salary. In fact, rarely a week goes by in which Leo and the rest of his Blaugrana teammates aren’t attending some event or presentation. And when they’re not doing that, they are filming a campaign or posing for a photo shoot. Sometimes they don’t even have to leave the training ground: it’s enough for them just to show off the latest trainers that their sponsors have designed especially for them, the TV cameras zoom in for a close-up, and it makes the headlines.

They are natural-born sellers, although each one has his own style and approach. In the publicity stakes, just as on the pitch, you have to stand out, be unique and special. The objective is the same: score more than your rivals – or rather, sell more. And in order to pull it off you have to play a role, have something of that ‘je ne sais quoi’ that others are lacking, show some attitude on the pitch, and own it.

In this parallel footballing world, Neymar occupies one of the top spots. He is the second most marketable footballer after Real Madrid’s Cristiano Ronaldo, coming in above Lionel. It’s true that in recent years the Brazilian has fallen a few places in the annual ranking of all sportsmen published by Sports Pro magazine. In 2013 he was top, but now he has dropped down to seventh place. This is undoubtedly related to the big controversy surrounding his Barcelona signing, and the fact that his performance during his first season with the Blaugrana has not been as brilliant as expected.

Nonetheless, his face was one of the most utilised for marketing by every conceivable brand during the 2014 Brazil World Cup. In a five minute clip for the Beats by Dre headphones, Ney stars alongside his father, with other football stars, including Luis Suárez, playing supporting roles. It helps that it’s a product that fits with the kid from Mogi’s young, modern image. Neymar is synonymous with fun, daring and life in the fast lane. He’s a charismatic, likeable kid, with his penchant for quirky hairstyles and tattoos, and his love of technology, music and fashion.

He has so many different advertising contracts that at times he blurs the line between publicity and reality. He makes headlines following the Champions League quarter-final against Atlético Madrid on 1 April 2014 – not just for scoring Barcelona’s only goal, but for seemingly brandishing his underwear. Critics claim he is guilty of advertising, as every time he lifted his shirt or adjusted his shorts the logo of his longstanding underwear sponsor was clearly visible. The Brazilian insists there is no underlying strategy behind his movements.

But it’s not the first time the marketing king has been accused of using tricks to promote his products or himself. And it happens again just a few days later, with his ‘We are all monkeys’ anti-racism campaign. At first it seems like a spontaneous post that goes viral. Someone throws a banana at Dani Alves during a match against Villarreal, and instead of showing his annoyance, the player calmly bites into it. Within minutes, Neymar – who is watching the match on television – has Instagrammed a picture of himself, his son and a banana, with the hashtags #somostodosmacacos #weareallmonkeys. The reaction is huge – even Italian Prime Minister Matteo Renzi gets in on the act. A few hours later the Brazilian media reveal that the whole stunt was dreamt up by the Barça number 11’s publicists.

Neymar is a big fish on social media. He and his advisors have tapped into a whole range of platforms to boost his personal image and brand in a way that is instantaneous, cost effective and globally visible. The key to his success is sharing moments of his life outside of matches, training and public appearances. He is the fourth most popular footballer on Twitter, with more than 15 million followers – still a far cry from Cristiano Ronaldo’s 30 million, but enough to demonstrate how influential he is at just 22 years of age. It can’t hurt that he posts things constantly – he always has a story to tell or a face to pull. He tweets nine times a day on average, which is significantly more than other sporting celebrities. And barely a day goes by without him posting photos to Instagram – with his friends, his father, his son, his teammates, sticking out his tongue, playing the piano or jumping on the bed.

If Neymar is the face of youthfulness, Leo symbolises authenticity. A big part of his attraction is the image of a normal kid who likes spending time with his family, friends and loved ones. Paradoxically, his shy nature makes him seem more accessible.

But it’s more than that. From early on in his professional career, the image of Messi was that of a boy who succeeded in reaching the top despite his height and growth problems. With hard work, perseverance and strong will, he has demonstrated and continues to demonstrate to the wider world that nothing is impossible.

It’s true that he doesn’t have the same level of self-assurance in front of the cameras as Ney or even Suárez. Nonetheless, the promo he shot with basketball superstar Kobe Bryant for Turkish Airlines in 2012 has garnered more than 105 million views on YouTube. They followed it up in 2013 with a Kobe versus Messi ‘Selfie Shootout’, where the two compete to see who can take the most pictures of themselves in different locations – which got more than 130 million views.

But it’s not just YouTube views that confirm Messi’s status as a successful ambassador. According to France Football’s 2014 ‘Salaries of the stars’ report, the Barça player has raked in 26 million euros in advertising contracts. He is first on the top twenty list, ahead of Cristiano (22 million) and Neymar (14 million). It seems any past allegations of supposed tax evasion have not affected his image.

These sorts of figures indicate that Leo’s shyness has receded over the years – something that is also reflected in the evolution of his designer fashion choices, particularly as the face of Dolce & Gabbana. Each Ballon d’Or or Golden Boot gala is an opportunity for him to break out an even more outlandish suit or tuxedo: bold colours, floral tapestry, polka dots … the louder the better.

When it comes to social media, he has 70 million Facebook fans, second only to Cristiano. But to date he has no presence on Twitter, which is unusual for such a big star. There are plenty of accounts bearing his name and picture, but his family and friends have had to step in on more than one occasion to confirm that they are not official accounts. As his sister María Sol has tweeted in the past: ‘A message from Leo! “Once again I would like to clarify that I do not have a Twitter account and I don’t intend to create one for now. If I did, I would announce it via my Facebook page. I hope this clarifies things so that people don’t get misled by any accounts that contain my name.”’

But there is another Messi on Twitter: Matías Messi, Leo’s brother. His tweets have caused quite a stir among football fans – for example, by asking why Real fans follow him if they dislike him so much. And although he clarified that he wasn’t talking about all Whites fans, the debate was already underway. He also caused a commotion when he posted a picture comparing Leo and Cristiano’s various titles dating back to 2009.

In contrast to his teammates, Luis Suárez is a bit of a novice when it comes to the world of branding and publicity. He does have a presence on social media, and he has plenty of followers, fans and ‘Likes’. But he isn’t as active online as Ney, and can go several days without posting anything on Twitter.

Nor does he enjoy as much exposure from endorsements and publicity, as confirmed by his earnings. During his final season at Liverpool, he netted more than £10 million, of which only around £2.5 million came from sponsorship.

On the other hand he is extremely good at exploiting his key character traits: he is a fighter – competitive and unpredictable. He has taken his weaknesses – such as his tendency to protest against referees – and turned them into marketable assets. He is capable of laughing at his flaws and mustering a smile for the world. And he is not a bad actor. He had no problem starring in Pepsi’s ‘Born to be Wild’ clip – a cheeky nod to his wild side, but daring considering his record on the pitch.

Of course, not all brands are willing to take that kind of risk. Following the bite at the World Cup, Luis loses some of his headline sponsors, such as betting site 888poker. The company states on Twitter that it will not tolerate ‘unsporting behaviour’.

And it also seems to cast doubts over his future with Adidas. For many years the sportswear brand has been one of the main FIFA sponsors, and there is a possibility that continuing to support El Pistolero could be perceived as a conflict of interest. In the end, Adidas opts to pull all the World Cup campaign adverts featuring Suárez, but retains its collaboration with him.

Nonetheless, one particular sponsorship deal seems unlikely to be in any jeopardy – that of Abitab, one of Uruguay’s main payment service providers, which features Luis in its adverts. Firstly, despite his aggression towards Chiellini, El Salteño never ceased to be a hero in his home country. Secondly, the company has spent many years using the star’s controversial nature to its advantage.

In July 2013 it surprised viewers with a fun and irreverent TV advert, beginning with a voiceover that explains: ‘At Abitab, we have been searching for a current celebrity to represent us around the country. That’s why we hired Luis Suárez.’ The footballer is seen dressed as a typical office worker in a white shirt and red tie, sending up exactly the sort of behaviour for which he is famous on the pitch: overreacting when the coffee runs out, getting frustrated with the photocopier, diving on the ground when a colleague merely taps him on the shoulder, and being so competitive as to blow out the candles on a co-worker’s birthday cake. Of course, to make up for it, the colleagues are shown talking to the camera about his versatility, his ability to adapt to any role, and how much the customers love him. It’s classic Lucho.

Only time will tell whether he will be able to rival Messi and Neymar in the publicity stakes – particularly now that he has joined the best team of recent years.