Nike executives were reportedly delighted to have Cristiano Ronaldo as the face of the company rather than Lionel Messi because the Portuguese star has a bigger personality.
Ronaldo has been sponsored by Nike since 2003 and became just the third athlete in the company’s history to be awarded a lifetime contract in 2016. The Manchester United striker has become synonymous with the American manufacturer, appearing in countless adverts as his career has developed.
Messi, meanwhile, has been tied to Nike’s biggest rival, Adidas, since 2006 and like Ronaldo he penned a lifetime deal with the company in 2017. The two players have always been compared and pitted against each other throughout their careers and the sponsorship deals have become a part of that narrative.
However, before 2006 Messi was also signed to Nike, who identified his rare talents at a young age and also made the kit of his then club Barcelona. As two of the most exciting young stars in the European game, Ronaldo and Messi were on the books of Nike together for three years.
Then, as the 2006 World Cup approached, Messi, who was being advised by his father Jorge, decided to leave Nike and join Adidas. How that move came about is the subject of some contention, with Nike taking Messi to court to try and keep him, only for a Spanish judge to rule in the Argentine’s favour.
The situation is explored in a new book entitled ‘Messi vs. Ronaldo: One Rivalry, Two GOATs, and the Era That Remade the World’s Game’, by Jonathan Clegg and Joshua Robinson, which is being serialised in the Wall Street Journal.
The authors spoke to many people at Nike about losing Messi and they claim that, while they were initially upset to lose Messi, they consoled themselves that Ronaldo was the better fit for the brand.
The book says that Nike executives believed Messi had “next to no public personality” and claims that their rivals Adidas had similar concerns about the young playmaker’s shy nature. Mirror Football has contacted Nike and Adidas for comment.
Over time, though, it is undisputed that both companies have benefited greatly from their associations with two of the greatest players of the modern era. According to a leaked report published in 2019, Ronaldo receives an annual base rate of €16.2million (£14.68m) from Nike. He was actually paid €20.2m (£18.3m) by Nike both in 2016 and 2017 due to a bonus
According to Forbes' 2022 list, Ronaldo is the third-best paid athlete in the world after earning $115m (£93.7m) last year – $55m (£44.8m) of which came via off-field ventures.
The value of Messi’s lifetime contract with Adidas is unknown, but according to Forbes, Messi is currently the highest paid athlete in the world, having made $130m (£116m) in pre-tax gross earnings over the previous 12 months.
