The multi-million euro transfer fee for Neymar has "considerable ramifications" for Paris St. Germain and the player, according to Yasmin Arrigo of CAMPAIGN LIVE. Licensing Industry Merchandisers' Association Managing Dir Kelvyn Gardner said that "all revenue streams" were analyzed, with "historic image rights revenues also estimated." Gardner: "When a major club invests this sort of money, plus wages, in a player, you can bet they've considered all the revenue streams and business-building opportunities. ... While it's difficult to predict the exact revenue figures for Neymar's image rights, retail sales of licensed sports merchandising amounted to over $24B worldwide last year. With football being the world's most popular sport and Neymar one of its biggest -- and now most expensive -- stars, it is obvious that his brand will generate a fair amount of money." MediaCom VP of Sport & Entertainment Misha Sher said that the move "enables PSG to compete commercially" and to bolster its int'l "kudos." Sher: "As it stands, there's a huge amount of competition in the marketplace already, with many clubs competing for a small pool of five-star, world-class players." Sher "also believes that Neymar's move to an arguably lesser league makes the deal all the more intriguing" in terms of the potential commercial and cultural winners. He said, "Neymar's move to Paris St. Germain transcends a business transaction; there's a political, cultural and commercial aspect of this deal like we've never quite seen before. ... The football broadcast rights will almost certainly increase as demand rockets to watch a genuine sports superstar join the French league." Cake Head of Analytics Anna Semens said, "Neymar is one of the most marketable athletes in the world and currently generates around 60% of his income from endorsements alone, so aside from his playing quality, PSG will benefit from his image and marketability" (CAMPAIGN LIVE, 8/4).
MYTH-BUSTING: In London, Nick Harris opined Neymar "has no chance whatsoever" of earning PSG "sufficient extra income to pay for his world-record transfer from Barcelona." None "whatsoever." There will be "reams of nonsense on this subject, claiming that millions of extra shirt sales will boost PSG's coffers to balance the books" for the £198M signing. It is "a myth." Clubs typically receive 10% to 15% of a shirt manufacturer's margin per sale, "above a certain level of sales." Even if Neymar "sold many hundreds of thousands of PSG shirts (itself a big ask)," the extra income would be worth single-digit millions to the club. There will be claims that Neymar, "already a Brazil legend at the tender age of 25, is so globally famous that his huge number" of social media followers will "fill PSG's tills." More "garbage." Cristiano Ronaldo "remains roughly twice as popular." Kaka "beats Neymar in combined Twitter and Facebook fans," and he plays for Major League Soccer side Orlando City (DAILY MAIL, 8/4).
