Image Text:

IN DEMAND: Raheem Sterling

RAHEEM STERLING has been made an offer to be one of the first footballers to sign a personal endorsement to wear Air Jordan football boots.

With an excellent start to the season and strong public outreach, the 24-year-old is one of the most sought after players for commercial deals.

Sterling could receive as much as £100million should he decide to sign the deal, and he currently has endorsements with Microsoft to promote the Xbox game console and EA Sports.

EVOLUTION

Air Jordan, a subsidiary of American sportswear company Nike, has not yet marketed football boots but the success of its collaboration with PSG has proved that it could be a growth market.

Sterling’s decision to challenge the portrayal of young black footballers in the media after having racism directed at him during a game at Stamford Bridge last season has projected his profile immensely.

Shortly after Nike’s campaign for Colin Kaepernick, the former NFL quarterback who protested the killing of young black men by kneeling during the national anthem before games in the United States, Nike launched an individual campaign around Sterling.

Sterling has also been courted by Gillette which has in the past signed some of the game’s biggest stars, including Thierry Henry and David Beckham.

Opportunities continue to rise for the sportstar, as he recently signed a new contract at City until 2023 worth up to £300,000 a week.