Singaporean billionaire Peter Lim, the owner of Spanish club
Valencia, has expanded into sports marketing by acquiring the image rights for
football superstar Cristiano Ronaldo, it was announced Monday.
Mint Media, a Hong Kong-based firm owned by Lim, said in a
statement the six-year contract with Ronaldo would help grow the Portuguese
icon’s brand in Asia.
Under the deal, Mint Media “will own and administer all of
Ronaldo’s image rights” except for those relating to his professional football
club Real Madrid.
Ronaldo, who has parlayed his popularity into lucrative brand
endorsement deals, is ranked by Forbes Magazine as the world’s third highest
paid athlete in 2015 after boxers Floyd Mayweather of the United States and
Filipino Manny Pacquiao.
“Ronaldo is not just a great soccer player, he is also a very
popular personality. I am confident that the Cristiano Ronaldo brand will
continue grow,” Lim said in the statement.
Ronaldo described Lim as “a good friend” and expressed
admiration for his business acumen.
“I believe he will be a good partner and good value add for
my brand,” added Ronaldo, a three-time winner of the FIFA World Player of the
Year award.
Ronaldo is heavily into social media with over 36 million
followers on Twitter and 103 million fans on Facebook.
Lim, a former stockbroker, last year bought a controlling
stake in the financially stricken La Liga side Valencia. He is also a key
investor in McLaren Automotive, a British manufacturer of high-performance
cars.
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