Daniel Sturridge has picked up lucrative sponsorship deals with Beats by Dre and Subway, enhancing his reputation as England’s World Cup “poster boy”.
Marketing Week reports that Sturridge has been snapped up by headphone maker Beats to appear alongside Barcelona star Neymar in its global TV campaign.
Liverpool’s Daniel Sturridge
The 24-year-old will also appear in adverts for Subway’s Low Fat Sub range, alongside Pele.
After a successful season with Liverpool, Sturridge, in partnership with sports marketing consultancy Octagon, has become a more attractive proposition for sponsors attracted by his fightback from a difficult start to his Premier League career. He already has deals with BT Sport, Coca-Cola and Mars.
Charlie Dundas, managing director of Repucom UK and Ireland, said: “Brands are looking at Sturridge as someone they can build up as the poster boy for the England team going into the next European Championships and 2018 World Cup.
“He doesn’t look like just another white English football player off the usual conveyor belt and has gained the halo-effect of playing alongside someone like Luis Suarez this season.
“The danger is English football has a history of building our heroes up very quickly and then knocking them down when they don’t perform. This could happen if Sturridge misses an easy chance in Rio next month and the challenge for him and his team is how they grow his appeal with non-football fans and try to emulate the model successfully used by David Beckham.”
England’s World Cup campaign begins against Italy on June 14.
