Jude Bellingham, the midfielder for England and Real Madrid, has ascended to global superstardom. Recently announced as the new face of Kim Kardashian’s SKIMS underwear brand, he has transcended the world of sports to become a celebrity in his own right.
Arriving in Madrid less than a year ago to join the Spanish powerhouse, the 20-year-old was already anticipated to achieve greatness in football. In just one season with Real Madrid, he has emerged as the sport’s most valuable player. His pivotal contributions throughout the campaign were instrumental in securing the Champions League, football’s most prestigious club trophy.
However, it’s beyond the football pitch where Bellingham’s star has truly soared. Over the past year, he has arguably become one of the most marketable young athletes globally. With a reported weekly wage of £220,000 at Madrid and lucrative partnerships with brands like adidas, Lucozade, and now SKIMS, Bellingham’s financial fortunes are skyrocketing alongside his sporting success.
As he prepares to play a key role in England’s Euro 2024 campaign this summer, Jude Bellingham stands not only as a football phenomenon but also as a beacon of modern sports celebrity.
Jude Bellingham’s newest brand deal with SKIMS has risen his stock outside of football
The 20-year-old is reportedly making £220,000 per week at Spanish football club Real Madrid
The England midfielder has become the main man for famous sports kit manufacturer, adidas
His meteoric rise to stardom outside of football is reminiscent to that of former England heartthrob David Beckham. The former England captain’s fame off the pitch perhaps made him more of a celebrity than on it.
Jude Bellingham becomes the new face of SKIMS as he appears in underwear ad ahead of the Euros
Beckham is arguably better known to the world for his business and modelling exploits than his glittering career that spanned 21 years and saw him play for many of the world’s biggest clubs, such as Manchester United and Real Madrid.
After he started dating his now-wife Victoria Beckham, opportunities outside of football began to arise. His collaborations with brands like adidas, Pepsi, and Vodafone plastered his face on to adverts and billboards around the globe.
Now, Bellingham is following a similar path and has caught the attention of companies around the world who all want a slice of him.
Just last year, Bellingham was wanted by luxury French fashion, Louis Vuitton, renowned for being extremely particular when it comes to the sporting stars they work with. Now, it’s SKIMS and adidas who are reaping the rewards.
Sports lawyer and commercial expert, Daniel Geey – who works with the likes of Declan Rice – explained why Bellingham and his team will have been seeking sponsors that can thrust him into the limelight.
Geey told Mail Sport: ‘There are a few things to consider when superstar footballers are entering into big brand deals, one of the things is exposure.
‘With Kim Kardashian, she’s got over 350 million followers [on Instagram], and she’s just posted about the latest SKIMS deal, and also he’s alongside other brand partners like Usher, Neymar Jr and Patrick Mahomes.
Bellingham’s rise to stardom has draws similarities to David Beckham’s (pictured inbetween Jennifer Lopez and Beyonce)
Last year the England midfielder was subject to huge interest from fashion brand Louis Vuitton
‘He’s the iconic footballer that’s doing incredibly well with Real Madrid, as well, and SKIMS isn’t the only deal. He’s obviously got a fantastic deal with adidas. He’s got a very big Lucozade deal as well.
‘He is looking to create that brand Bellingham and ensure that his commercial team are looking out for the brand deals that resonate with him, but also provide exposure, which he is obviously already doing on the pitch.’
Just two days after Bellingham’s big reveal as an underwear model for Kardashian’s brand, the train that is his marketing strategy gathered even more pace, as he was subject to a huge new advert released by adidas.
The iconic sportswear brand has been spearheading the Englishman’s promotion, just like they did with the likes of Lionel Messi, and of course Beckham.
The advert reinforces the importance of the star to the kit manufacturer, and Geey – who launched his new book ’50 Ways Into Football’ alongside former FA editor Dan Freedman on Wednesday – has revealed how his contract with adidas may have been amended to allow for deals with affluent brands.
He has signed a multi-year partnership with popular sports drink Lucozade
‘The interesting thing around that [the SKIMS deal] is because usually, the boot deal that players sign with adidas or Nike can have quite a lot of restrictions around what types of other brands they can work with.
‘It would have been interesting for that negotiation that he had with adidas to carve out underwear from the deal.
‘And if he is going to do deals with whoever it might be in the future, or has done with Louis Vuitton or otherwise, that sort of high-end luxury brand element would have to be carved specifically out of the adidas deal to make sure that those restrictions weren’t in place.
‘Those brand and boot manufacturers want to make sure that there is as little crossover effectively. So it doesn’t dilute the brand messaging.’
Due to playing for Real Madrid, Bellingham’s revenue situation for such deals is different to that of the players who play their football elsewhere.
Bellingham’s contract with adidas will have been modified to allow him to work with SKIMS
‘Real Madrid do usually take a portion of the player’s image rights,’ Said Geey. ‘So, they are effectively sharing in the commercial upside of their player’s deals, and that is part of the deal that is signed when they sign with the club because they’re going to a club of such stature.
‘So, Madrid is sometimes seen as the outlier, where the player will have to pay some of their image rights, but will share in the revenues of those image rights.
‘Whereas players from most other clubs across the world, when it comes to their personal endorsements, their image rights company will make almost all of the revenue, as a result.’