The Portuguese player will front the charity’s Everyone New Born and Child Survival Campaign, a worldwide effort to prevent the deaths of infants from preventable diseases such as measles and diarrhoea. Ronaldo began his duties at the Globe Soccer event in Dubai on 28th and 29th December, where he hosted the “Champion for Children Initiative” charity auction. Along with the likes of Lionel Messi, Alessandro Del Piero and Iker Casillas, the 26-year-old donated a signed football shirt for the auction, which raised €37,000 for selected Save the Children campaigns.

Speaking after the auction, Ronaldo said: “I’m so proud to support Save the Children. I’m delighted at the funds raised during tonight’s auction and at the support of so many players from across so many different world class teams in making it such a success. This is the most important thing of tonight. I hope it’ll go a long way in stopping needless child deaths.”Save the Children chief executive Justin Forsyth added: “Child mortality is a major global issue with over seven million children dying before their fifth birthday every year. That’s why it’s incredible to have a figurehead like Cristiano Ronaldo at the helm of Save the Children’s Global Everyone Newborn and Child Survival Campaign.”

Forsyth also praised Ronaldo’s early contribution as an ambassador, saying that he had helped to raise “funds that will help us ensure that 7,000 children, and over 36,000 adults in Egypt have access to health and secure livelihoods.”

In August, Save the Children became the official charity partner of Premier League club Arsenal.

 Source: sportspromedia.com

Lionel Messi of Argentina, one of the nominees for the football player of the year, speaks prior to the FIFA Ballon d'Or 2011 gala held at the Kongresshaus in Zurich, Switzerland, Monday, Jan. 9, 2012.... (Associated Press)

ZURICH — Already considered one of soccer’s greats at age 24, Lionel Messi on Monday became the first to win FIFA player of the year three times in a row.

The Barcelona and Argentina forward received the FIFA Ballon d’Or award for 2011, beating club teammate Xavi Hernandez and Real Madrid’s Cristiano Ronaldo.

“It’s a huge honor,” Messi said after accepting the trophy from retired Brazilian great Ronaldo.

The only other three-time winners are Ronaldo (1996-97, 2002) and Zinedine Zidane (1998, 2000, 2003). The FIFA award was renamed last year when it merged with France Football’s Golden Ball.

On a night of Barcelona dominance, Pep Guardiola was honored as men’s coach of the year. He was chosen ahead of Real Madrid’s Jose Mourinho and Manchester United’s Alex Ferguson.

Among the women, Homare Sawa of Japan ended Brazilian forward Marta’s five-year reign as the top player. American Abby Wambach was a finalist. Sawa led Japan to win the 2011 Women’s World Cup and adds the FIFA prize to those as the tournament’s best player and top scorer.

Messi scored 55 goals in 2011 for Barcelona, which won its third Champions League title in six seasons, and he had four goals for Argentina’s national team. Barcelona won five trophies last year,

Messi received 48 percent of the points in votes cast by national team coaches and captains plus selected reporters. Cristiano Ronaldo finished second with 22 percent and Xavi had 9 percent to finish third for the third straight year.

“This one is very special because I want to share this with my friend and teammate Xavi. He deserves it,” Messi said.

A major international tournament victory is all that now eludes Messi. Guardiola and Ferguson agreed at an earlier news conference that Messi should be considered in the same elite category Pele, Diego Maradona and Alfredo di Stefano.

“Now he can sit beside them,” Guardiola said.

Messi joined Michel Platini in winning the Ballon d’Or for three consecutive years, though the France great won from 1983-85 when only European players were eligible. Platini called Messi “a pearl,” but said he must win soccer’s biggest prize to rival Pele or Maradona.

“Messi will always be great with or without (winning) a World Cup - but the World Cup, it’s something special,” Platini said. “I think the World Cup will stay in the mind of the people.”

Dutch forwards Johan Cruyff and Marco van Basten also received three Ballon d’Or awards. Before starting his victory streak, Messi was runner-up twice behind Brazil’s Kaka and Cristiano Ronaldo.

Messi was outscored by Ronaldo in the Spanish league last season - 40 to 31 - but elevated his game in the biggest matches. Xavi described his teammate as “one of the best footballers in the history of the sport.”

“He’s still young. I think he’s probably going to break all the records that exist in the sport,” Xavi said.

U.S. coach Jurgen Klinsmann voted Messi first, followed by Ronaldo and Diego Forlan. American captain Carlos Boacanegra had Messi first, followed by Xavi and Ronaldo. Paul Kennedy of Soccer America, the U.S. media voter, had Messi first followed by Ronaldo and Xavi.

Messi missed a second trophy for the year’s most beautiful goal. Fans voted online from a list of 10 and chose the goal by Brazil forward Neymar in his club Santos’s 5-4 loss against Flamengo last July.

Ferguson received the FIFA presidential award from Sepp Blatter in recognition of his 25 years as manager at Old Trafford. The 70-year-old Scot has won 12 English League and two Champions League trophies.

“It is an honor for it to be given me in the twilight of my life,” he said.

Norio Sasaki was honored as best coach of a women’s team for guiding Japan to its World Cup title. Pia Sundhage, whose U.S. team lost in the final, and France’s Bruno Bini were also on the list.

The Japan Football Association received FIFA’s Fair Play award for its response to the earthquake and tsunami last March.

All three Ballon d’Or nominees were part of the 2011 all-star lineup chosen by the FIFPro group of players’ unions comprising 50,000 members worldwide. They selected a team entirely of Barcelona, Madrid and Manchester United players:

Goalkeeper (Iker Casillas); defense (Dani Alves, Gerard Pique, Sergio Ramos, Nemanja Vidic); midfield (Xavi, Andres Iniesta, Xabi Alonso); forwards (Messi, Ronaldo, Wayne Rooney).

By GRAHAM DUNBAR, AP Sports Writer

www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZkbsENyG7b0

www.youtube.com/watch?v=16HUamnrOnY

Together, the boot graphics will create a striking flicker effect on pitch to stand out in the heat of game day competition.

CR Mercurial Vapor Superfly III features an adaptive traction system that provides extra grip, traction and responsiveness to ensure one of the fastest players in the world capitalizes on the tightest of scoring opportunities.

Directionally positioned blades maximize cutting and allow for quick changes of direction, while secondary toe traction provides added toe-off power for those first critical steps to generate explosive speed. Collectively, these design details allow greater speed and quickness in all directions. The second generation of Nike Flywire technology incorporated into the boot’s streamlined upper provides a lightweight, strong and more dynamic fit.

Inspired by Cristiano Ronaldo’s love for premium white sneakers, his collection brings a new interpretation of the Nike5 Street Gato. Taking a new spin on the classic white in-line version, the Gato CR7 uses a rich color tone for a premium and distinctive look completed with a “7” graphic on the heel representing his playing number.

CR’s classic number 7 is also accented through training and lifestyle items. A distinctive t-shirt featuring 7 stripes across the chest comes in three different colors (white, red and blue) and is made of organic cotton. Special graphic and wash treatments give the V neck tee a touch of CR’s style. The training top features a bold “7” graphic and both top and shorts are made of Dri-FIT ensuring comfortable and focused training sessions. Solar Red GS Polo, blue Aw77 Hoody and grey M65 jacket are also part of CR7 Collection. The collection is rounded out with striking interpretations of the color thematic through a CR7 match ball, shin guards and back pack.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=SeY9RR0BMz0

Source: Nike

Ronaldo has been a global ambassador for Castrol since 2009, and the partnership with the UEFA EURO 2012 and FIFA World Cup 2014 sponsor has seen the star demonstrate his talents in a series of global initiatives, ranging from putting journalists through their paces in an exclusive training session at Real Madrid’s training ground, to inviting consumers to race against a giant projection of Ronaldo in the ‘Challenge Ronaldo’ event.

Most recently, in the unique hour-long TV documentary ‘Castrol Edge Presents Ronaldo Tested to the Limit’, the world’s leading sports scientists undertook the most rigorous examination of Ronaldo’s skills, strength and agility in a high-performance lab.

Over the next two years, Castrol Edge will continue to give consumers insights into Ronaldo’s ability on the pitch.

Commenting on the partnership, Cristiano Ronaldo said: ‘There are still things that I can learn that will give me an advantage on the pitch, which is why I’m looking forward to continuing my relationship with Castrol Edge. Together we will find new and exciting ways to test and develop my skills and help me strengthen my game.’

Mike Johnson, Castrol executive vice president, added: ‘We’re thrilled that Cristiano has signed with us for a further two years. Just as Ronaldo’s performances inspire confidence in his fans and teammates whenever he steps onto the pitch, Castrol EDGE gives customers the confidence to drive how they want, whenever they want, whatever the conditions.’

‘As we have demonstrated throughout our partnership with Ronaldo, he possesses immense physical and mental strength which gives him the edge over his opponents, and makes him the obvious choice for the Castrol EDGE brand.’

Source: sportindustry.biz

Alicia Riaño revealed in a study across the League that as
expected, the Argentine and Portuguese stars step the most shirts
across the country, behind only Spain’s national team shirts.
Behind Ronaldo at Real Madrid is Mesut Ozil and then Ricky Kaka,
whilst Messi is followed by David Villa, Andres Iniesta and Xavi
Hernandez in terms of Barcelona shirt sales.

Club by club proves interesting. Javi Martinez and Fernando
Llorente are the most popular for Athletic Bilbao fans to put on
their back, whilst at Atletico Madrid Diego and Radamel Falcao
account for 60% of shirt sales at their club this summer. Roque Santa
Cruz and Javier Matilla are reportedly neck and neck as the most
popular at Real Betis, but Ruben Castro is proving performances can
affect things, reportedly pushing up his shirt sales to a close third
place.

Joint top of the League, the player selling the most shirts at
Levante is 36-year-old centre-back Sergio Ballesteros. Rivals
Valencia place Roberto Soldado top of the pile, with new faces Pablo
Piatti and Sergio Canales next in their list. Villarreal have
confirmed 49% of their shirts are sold with a custom name and number
on the back, and that of the remaining 51%, just over half choose
Giuseppe Rossi’s No 22 shirt. Cani and Nilmar account for the next
highest amounts.

Pedro Leon holds 40% of player-specific shirt sales at Getafe
whilst Michu and Piti are the most-loved across town at Rayo
Vallecano. However, at Rayo the majority of shirt sales are
customised name and numbers, as is also the case at Zaragoza where
75% are customised. Of the remaining 25%, Angel Lafita and Luis
Garcia are joint most popular.

Malaga list Santi Cazorla, Ruud van Nistelrooy and Julio Baptista
in that order whilst Sevilla have Freddie Kanoute and Alvaro Negredo
top of their list. Fellow Andalusian side Granada do not have numbers
as there has been a delay in distributing their shirt across the
country.

The players only reportedly had the new shirt to wear at the start
of the season a matter of hours before they kicked off their first
game. Sporting Gijon also do not yet have this season’s shirts on
sale for a similar reason.

Kike Sola and Raul Garcia account for 55% of Osasuna’s total
shirt sales whilst Pedro Munitis holds 35% of Racing Santander’s
shirt sales and Antoine Griezmann takes the accolade at Real
Sociedad.

Espanyol list late captain Dani Jarque as by far their most
popular name and number, with the No 21 shirt shifting 40% of the
club’s shirt sales.

Perhaps most surprising is that in Mallorca the most popular name
to have adorned the backs of their fans’ shirts – at least until
recently – was Michael Laudrup’s.

A history of red cards and losing his temper? No problem.

Occasional off-field misbehaviour, including marital infidelity? That’s OK.

Father interviewed by police about alleged match fixing? Can overlook that.

Wayne Rooney’s chequered personal history has the football purists wringing their hands in dismay. But when it comes his global marketability, the sometimes-dubious exploits of the Manchester United star can actually serve to enhance his appeal.

As the Liverpool-born striker prepares to enter his late 20′s (he turns 26 on October 24), he shows few signs of growing up, despite almost a decade as a professional and more than eight years as an England international.

It is probably a fair bet to assume that during his post-playing career that Rooney’s maturity and wisdom will be comparable to that of Paul Gascoigne and the late George Best.

And his lack of the smooth media skills of former pros like Alan Hansen and Gary Lineker means that he’s never likely to be sharing sharp, analytical insights on cosy TV couches.

But Rooney’s brawling, street footballer image is what many fans love most about him.

Here’s a man who will lose his cool against Montenegro with qualification for Euro 2012 all but sewn up – simply because he is ‘in the moment’, contesting every kick as if his life depended on it. He will never be a ‘big picture’ kind of guy.

Bad boy

“We knew what Rooney was like and these kind of events only really serve to confirm what we thought he was: a very talented, badly behaved footballer,” said Nathaniel Milner of sports marketing company, VSM.

“He was never going to be the glamorous Beckham-esque poster boy for every grooming product and personal care brand.

“What’s happened may not even affect his appeal in the short term. Last year, Nike even used his off field issues and subsequent loss of form to very publicly rehabilitate him in the US to the current, on-field Wayne Rooney.”

This week, his club manager, Sir Alex Ferguson, publicly defended his favourite forward, saying that Rooney’s temperament had improved and that having a fiery streak wasn’t necessarily a bad thing.

It is noticeable that Rooney is usually better behaved when wearing the red of Manchester United compared to the white of his country.

His Montenegro meltdown saw him join ex-teammate David Beckham as the only England players to have been red-carded twice.

As repeated national coaches have failed, Sir Alex has mastered the knack of not only keeping a lid on the Rooney rage – but channelling it to great effect.

As a result, he’s scored 18 goals in his last 21 Premier League appearances ahead and only three in his last 18 England caps.

Brand Rooney

Rooney may one day reflect on an England career that failed to match his Old Trafford achievements, but that isn’t likely to affect his earning ability, given how big the Manchester United brand has become.

Even Sir Alex – and his possible Red Devils’ successor Jose Mourinho – have surreptitiously devalued the international game by suggesting that the UEFA Champions League had overtaken the FIFA World Cup in becoming the new benchmark for the sport.

The fact that Rooney’s suspension means that he will be missing for the start of Euro 2012 merely gives marketers a new angle to pursue: the comeback kid.

He will have the chance to jump to his nation’s rescue and return as their talisman in Poland and Ukraine next June – assuming England make it beyond the knockout stages.

“The majority of major sponsors are in the US and it is an undeniable fact that Americans love a comeback story,” said the San Diego-based Milner.

“Amongst the most heavily endorsed athletes in the world today are Michael Vick, Kobe Bryant, Michael Phelps and Michael Jordan who’ve had alleged off-field issues including adultery, dog fighting, drugs and sexual assault.

“Their popularity and skill on the field are always going to outweigh these issues and the larger brands know this.”

Milner pointed out that Rooney’s most lucrative endorsements with companies like Nike and EA Sports were heavily focused on his on-field performance instead of his public persona.

Niall Donnelly, of Hong Kong media firm Two Up Front, added: “Even though he is a global star with all the trappings of success, the young male working class demographic can identify because they still see him as one of them.”

On Manchester United’s Asian tour in 2009, a group of Malaysian Chinese fans at Kuala Lumpur’s National Stadium weren’t totally joking when they announced on national television that Rooney was their favourite player because: “He is fat, just like us.”

While it is inaccurate to describe a wonderful athlete like Rooney as overweight, his chunky frame doesn’t sit easily in the designer clothing that Beckham, Cristiano Ronaldo or Fernando Torres might wear and no amount of advanced hair treatment will turn him into a pin-up boy.

The fact that he does break the mould – and pushes the boundaries of acceptable on-and-off field behaviour – only adds to his mystique.

There is always a line that cannot be crossed, but as Philadelphia NFL quarterback Michael Vick has shown, there can still be good money to be made, even after a lengthy jail sentence, as long as the former felon can do the business on the field.

The key is to have a sharp marketing and PR team around for damage limitation, effortlessly turning apparent stumbling blocks into stepping-stones. That’s why Rooney’s Podgorica pot-shot will be long forgotten when he becomes England’s saviour at the Euros.

Source: Aljazeera

No.10 – AC Milan and Emirates Airlines

Value: $83m over five years

The Italian club was the Dubai-based airline’s second biggest shirt deal and the 2010 deal saw it replace Austrian online betting group bwin. However, the deal did not include the sale of a stake in the club as some media outlets had previously reported.

No.9 – Real Madrid and Bwin

Value: £54.9m over three years ($88m)

The Spanish team’s previous 2006 deal with Taiwanese mobile phone giant BenQ went soar when the firm went bust, but in 2007 it signed a deal with Austrian online gambling firm Bwin. It has also had a deal with Adidas since 1998 and both have helped make the club the richest in football history, with revenue of around €438.6m ($625m).

No.8 – Bayern Munich and Deutsche Telekom

Value: $115m over three years

Industry sources say this deal is performance related and the telecoms giant will have to pay the German team even more if its rankings improve, but with it coming runner up in the German league, there is little more the team can other than lift the trophy in 2011. The deal lasts until 2013 so there is still time.

No.7 –Liverpool and Standard Chartered

Value: $130m over four years

Liverpool ended their long-association with Danish beer brand Carlsberg when they signed a four-year deal with Standard Chartered Bank in Sept 2009. The bank, which is listed on theLondonandHong Kongstock exchanges, had previously tried to sponsor the club’s fierce rivals Manchester United.

No.6 – Arsenal and Emirates Airlines

Value: $160 over 15 years

The 2006 deal between Arsenal and Dubai-based airline Emirates Airline was the biggest of its kind before itsAbu Dhabirival went one better. In 2010, Emirates said it is hoping to renew its partnership with Arsenal Football Club when its current deal expires in 2021. Arsenal’s kit manufacturing deal is with Nike.

No.5 – Chelsea and Adidas

Value: $160m over 10 years

Londonteam Chelsea, owned by Russian billionaire Roman Abramovich, renewed its multi-million pound deal with Korean electronics giant Samsung in 2008. The clubs also has a kit manufacturing deal with Adidas.

No.4 –Barcelona and Nike

Value: $210m over five years

The Spanish club had previously refused to allow logos on their jerseys, but a favourable deal from the shirt manufacturers and tougher economic conditions saw them quickly change its mind.

No.3 –Barcelona and Qatar Foundation

Value: $235m over five years

Signed in December 2010, the Qatar Foundation deal was reported as a record shirt sponsorship deal withBarcelona, which was for around $235m. The deal with the Qatar Foundation, which promotes education and research in the Middle East, was criticised at the time by former Dutch superstar Johan Cruyff who said it was “sullying the jersey” of a team that had previously refused to put a logo on its shirts.

No.2 – Juventus and Tamoil

Value: $265m over 10 years

Signed in 2005 between the Italian club and the Libyan oil company, the deal was for five years and renewable for up to ten. However, when scandal struck the Turin-based club and it was relegated, the deal turned sour and the Libyans backed out.

No.1 –Manchester United and Nike

Value: $486m over 13 years

Signed in 2002, this was the biggest deal at the time before Etihad andManchesterCityclinched the top title. Signed in 2002, Nike replaced Umbro as the club’s kit provider and the deal included the team’s global licensing and retail operations. In 2009, The English clubs also signed a $128m four-year deal with US firm insurance operator Aon Corp, replacing previous sponsor AIG.

Source: arabianbusiness.com

News Of The World Official Website

Maradona Holding The Most sold Soccer Jersey in Spain

Jose Mourinho recent signing with the “Merengues” has lifted so much the spirits of their fans that his soccer jersey is the number one sold in Real Madrid’s Store.  The recognized coach was presented on May 31st 2010 from which Real Madrid paid the exorbitant amount of 8 million euros.

After the spectacular presentation in the Bernabeu Stadium, the soccer jersey of Real Madrid with the number 9 in the back and the name of Cristiano Ronaldo sold out in a matter of hours. Kaka’s shirt sold out as well.

The big difference between both stars is that Cristiano Ronaldo’s jersey sold out in only 2 hours (around 2000 shirts) while the one of Kaka sold 600 units in amount of time (consider that each jersey costs around 85 euros).

According to the well-know Madrilenian newspaper AS, it was so shocking the commotion that after the presentation around 300 jerseys with the name of the Portuguese Soccer Star were stolen from the Real Madrid’s official store. For that reason, the security staff of the institution had to take measures to avoid more robberies.

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