Cristiano Ronaldo, soccer’s most expensive athlete, did not trigger a merchandising monster sale on the same scale as David Beckham did when he started playing for Real Madrid.

• David Beckham, former English soccer team captain and Manchester United star, came to Real Madrid in 2003 with a large contract in hand and with high merchandising expectations. Basically, he sold a lot of jerseys!
• Cristiano Ronaldo, the Portugese star forward, was the 2008 FIFA world player of the year and also came from Manchester United to Real Madrid.
• The lack of jersey sales is somewhat being blamed on the economy, but perhaps it also indicates that Ronaldo is just not as popular as Beckham.

Facts & Figures

• Ronaldo signed a new $133 million contract with Real Madrid in June, which is approximately three times more than Beckham received when he joined the club.
• When Beckham joined Real Madrid, team income soared 27%. With the addition of Ronaldo in 2010, team income is expected to rise 3.5%.
• Real Madrid jersey sales are roughly 20% lower now than they were during the Beckham era.

Best Quote

“There was a spike when Cristiano Ronaldo signed in the summer but there’s not such a big demand now. The economic crisis is taking its toll.” – Eugino Martinez, Shop Owner in Madrid, Spain