May 22 – Arsenal and French legend Thierry Henry is the latest of football’s superstars to benefit from Chinese sponsorship in advance of the Russian World Cup. The World Cup winner in 1998 has been named as the official ambassador of Chinese kitchen appliance manufacturer Vatti.
Vatti had already signed an agreement to become the Official Partner of the French Men’s National Football Team.
Last week Portuguese star Cristiano Ronaldo signed a deal with Chinese luxury SUV car maker WEY. The Portugal national team has two Chinese sponsorships for Russia 2018, beverage producer Eastroc Super Drink will be the Portuguese team’s Official Energy Drink, while Hangzhou Wahaha Group, also a beverage maker focussed on soft drinks, has also signed on with the Portuguese.
The move to signing up football personalities for World Cup and football promotions has seen the Chinese sponsorship and marketing community sweep through the football business with remarkable alacrity. Having provided FIFA with its newest main and World Cup sponsors, Chinese marketers then snapped up leading teams – including Argentina, France and Portugal – with deals, before then moving to the next level with celebrity endorsements.
Vatti announced Henry via a live stream on yizhibo.com, where he prepared some dishes and shared some of his cooking experiences with Chinese fans. The show generated more than 7 million views.
Henry’s attraction to Chinese fans and their football culture is worth noting as he played his career before the Chinese government took a serious in football as a sport.
Henry was named runner-up for the FIFA World Player of the Year in 2003 and 2004, and was named the PFA Players’ Player of the Year twice, and the FWA Footballer of the Year three times. He won the World Cup and Euros with France and was a key member of the dominant Arsenal teams of the early 2000s.
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