The biggest sponsorships between brands and athletes: From Messi and Adidas to Jordan and Nike

Messi receives around 25 million dollars annually in sponsorship. Furthermore, since 2017, the man from Rosario has been linked for life to adidasby signing a life contract.

Since his arrival in Miami, Messi signed a new contract with David Beckham’s franchise, since, in addition to his salary as an Inter Miami player, the Argentine receives a percentage of sales from Adidas, which also sponsors the Major League. Soccer (MLS).

A similar case is that of Cristiano Ronaldo with Nike. The relationship between the two dates back to 2003, when the Portuguese left Lisbon to go play for Manchester United. It is estimated that the last contract that the Portuguese star signed with the Oregon giant, which unites the parties from 2016 to 2026, will bring him earnings of 162 million euros.

Also in football, Phil Knight’s brand opted in 2021 for Megan Rapinoe. Following the agreement between the parties, the American soccer player, who recently retired, got her own sports brand: Victory Redefined. Although the amount earned by the former soccer player from her sponsorship agreement with Nikeit is estimated that in recent years billed sponsorship between $200,000 and $400,000 per season, according to Forbes.

However, the most iconic relationship between a brand and an athlete is the one that unites Nike with Michael Jordan.

In 1984, a young American basketball player stood out at the University of North Carolina. That same year, the Chicago Bulls chose him in the draft. National Basketball Association (NBA) and, from there, Nike laid its eyes on Jordan’s talent and they began to walk the path together.

The first contract between Jordan and Nike It amounted to a million dollars annually, in addition to royalties from the sales of the sneakers, something that would change over the years. With the agreement signed, the Jordan One hit the market, which had a second version the following year. Later the idea of ​​the Air Jordan brand would be consolidated, which would later become the identifying brand.

Only in 2022, Michael Jordan He earned more than $250 million from his endorsement deal with Nike through sales of his Jordan brand’s footwear and apparel (which amounted to more than $5 billion that year).

In the NBA

Another NBA myth, Shaquille O’Neal He also had a great contractual relationship with a sports equipment brand. Since 1992, the year of his NBA debut with the Orlando Magic, Reebok You saw the center from New Jersey.

Not only that, but on October 13, the American brand of sports sneakers, clothing and accessories named him president of its basketball area. Among other functions, he is in charge of recruiting athletes, marketing operations and advising on strategic direction.

However, O’Neal’s history with the American multinational has a parenthesis. With a forty million dollar contract on the table, the player broke his relationship with Reebok to create, together with the supermarket chain Walmartsome low-cost basketball shoes.

However, big brands are not only related to footballers and basketball players, in tennis, an icon like Roger Federer dressed Nike for 24 seasons, a relationship that earned him around 150 million dollars. However, the relationship between the two came to an end in 2018, when the Swiss tennis player signed for Uniqlo, creating a precedent and being the gateway for the Japanese brand in tennis.

The reason for the end of the relationship between Federer and Nike was none other than 300 million dollars: the Japanese brand offered him a million-dollar contract to retain the former tennis player for ten years.

For his part, the greatest Olympic medalist, Michael Phelpssigned his first sponsorship contract with Speedo in 2001, when he was 16 years old, and extended it for four years in 2009. Since then, the relationship between the parties extended until the former swimmer retired in 2016.

Although the amount of the sponsorship was not disclosed, it is estimated that the brand of tights, goggles, hats and swimming accessories paid him one million dollars for each Olympic medal. Phelps won 28 Olympic medals in his career: 23 gold, 3 silver and 2 bronze. Currently, the former American swimmer has a net worth of eighty million dollars.

Continuing with the water, the surfer Kelly Slater and Quicksilver have maintained the longest sponsorship relationship in surfing in history, after 23 years together. The brand owned by Boardriders signed the surfer from Cocoa Beach (Florida) for the surfing brand in 2000 and he himself assured that “Quiksilver signed me a sponsorship contract in 1990, ending my amateur career and being my guide in my professional life.” . It is estimated that the last contract that Slater signed with the brand, in 2010, amounted to ten million dollars.

Another extensive business relationship was the one between the former athlete Usain Bolt with Cougarwho joined when the Jamaican was just 16 years old and in July of last year they celebrated their 20th anniversary.

Being the fastest person in history elevated Usain Bolt beyond his sporting achievements. The Jamaican sprinter dominated at will for a decade with eight Olympic golds and his 11 world titles.

According to estimates published by Forbes, Bolt earned figures close to 30 million euros per season and they estimate his fortune in excess of 100 million.

Breakup with Adidas

Eleven months ago, adidas decided to break the contracts he had with two of the golfers he has sponsored and dressed in his clothing for the longest time. The Spanish Sergio Garcia and the former world number one Dustin Johnsontoday enrolled in the league LIV Golf.

Johnson had been associated with the German giant for 15 years, although the golfer wanted to end the sponsorship agreement to promote the brand of his LIV team, 4Aces.

Adidas also canceled the sponsorship agreement with Sergio García, with whom it also had a 15-year relationship, during which the Spanish golfer achieved 31 victories, 11 of them on the PGA Tour. Tournament that García abandoned last year to enroll in the competing competition LIV, organized and sponsored by Saudi capital and that has broken the status quo that until now prevailed in the world of golf.