In modern football, the impact of image rights on commercial revenue has become so significant that clubs increasingly ensure players retain, assign, or share percentage ownership of their image rights when signing. This trend reflects the growing value of individual player brands, the importance of commercial activation, and the strategic desire of clubs to monetise global visibility, not just on the pitch, but off it too.
Image rights are now a core part of contract negotiations, especially for marquee players whose likenesses deliver measurable commercial value. Far from being an administrative add-on, these clauses can shape how a club captures revenue from sponsorships, merchandising, media deals and even digital products (like video games). The allocation of image rights, and the percentage split between player and club, can affect both a player’s earnings and a club’s commercial profitability.
Image rights are now a core part of contract negotiations, especially for marquee players whose likenesses deliver measurable commercial value.
To understand why this matters, it helps to unpack how image rights function, how clubs use them, and why both sides of the table have a vested interest in securing them strategically.
Understanding Image Rights in Football Contracts
A player’s image rights include their name, likeness, photo, voice and other identifiable personal characteristics. These rights are fundamentally owned by the player themselves and not automatically by the club that employs them. A standard employment contract typically gives a club limited rights to use a player’s image for basic promotional activity, but that scope is usually insufficient for serious commercial exploitation.
A separate commercial agreement is often required, especially when a club wants to use a player’s image to promote sponsors, feature in adverts, sell merchandise or integrate players into global campaigns. When clubs negotiate image rights, they usually enter into a licensing contract with the player’s own company (which holds those rights).
This separate image rights agreement allows clubs to tap into the value of a player’s popularity, while ensuring players are compensated fairly for commercial usage beyond their on-field performances. Without such arrangements, clubs might be prevented from using a player’s likeness in advertising campaigns or licensing deals that generate millions in revenue.
Why Clubs Want a Share of Image Rights
Historically, clubs recognised that individual players can generate commercial revenue that far exceeds matchday, broadcasting or traditional sponsorship income. With the rise of global media distribution and digital platforms, individual player likenesses, alone or in group campaigns, are monetised by third parties, including video game companies, apparel brands, luxury sponsors and digital platforms.
Clubs have realised that if they can secure at least a percentage of a player’s image rights, they can:
- Capture revenue from commercial deals involving that player, either directly or as part of a club-wide package.
- Leverage star power for global partnerships that require access to key players for campaigns, launches, events and endorsements.
- Share in external revenue streams, such as video game likeness fees or global advertising placements, that were previously exclusive to the player.
In some high-profile contracts, top players negotiate significant control or ownership of their image rights, but clubs will agree to that only if they also secure clear access to deploy those rights commercially in ways that support the club’s income.
Examples of Image Rights Ownership Structures
One of the earliest and most instructive examples comes from Cristiano Ronaldo’s contracts. During his time with Real Madrid, Ronaldo negotiated an image rights split in which he retained a majority stake, with the club capturing a portion of commercial use. On reported occasions, he retained around 60% of his image rights while Real Madrid took the remaining 40%, a structure that reflected both his global commercial pull and the club’s interest in participating in that value chain.
Similarly, clubs like Real Madrid and others in La Liga and the Premier League routinely secure a share of player image rights to facilitate sponsorship use and licensing where necessary. These splits vary significantly by individual player, market, and negotiating leverage, but the underlying rationale is consistent: the player’s off-field brand contributes materially to the club’s commercial appeal, so the club seeks a piece of that value.
Reports from various negotiations suggest that clubs can sometimes obtain up to 50% or more of a player’s image rights for commercial use, particularly for new signings or global stars whose presence significantly elevates the club’s brand.
What This Means Commercially for Clubs
From a commercial standpoint, securing a share of image rights enables clubs to significantly expand their revenue potential. When a club negotiates a global sponsorship with a multinational brand, whether it’s tailor-made apparel, global consumer technology, auto brands or financial services, the ability to deploy key players’ images is a premium asset.
From a commercial standpoint, securing a share of image rights enables clubs to significantly expand their revenue potential.
For example, when video game companies like EA Sports negotiate rights to include official players, teams and leagues in titles like EA SPORTS FC 26, they often do so through agreements that depend on clubs having obtained image rights permissions from players. This can unlock significant licensing revenue both for the clubs and, via shared splits, for the players themselves.
In addition, clubs with global touring strategies, undertaking preseason tours in Asia, North America, the Middle East or South America, have increasingly relied on player image rights to activate sponsor partnerships around these tours. Brands that pay for exposure in these markets require access to players’ images, and clubs that have secured those rights can offer higher-value packages.
What It Means for Players
For players, retaining a portion of their image rights and managing them through a dedicated company is crucial commercial leverage. Top players regularly use image rights companies to:
- Attract personal endorsements with global brands.
- Separate commercial earnings from their playing contract, often with tax planning benefits (though this is increasingly scrutinised by tax authorities).
- Maintain control over how their likeness is used and ensure brand partners align with their own strategic goals.
A contemporary example of how powerful image rights can be for an individual’s commercial success is Mohamed Salah. According to recent accounts, Salah’s image rights company has generated tens of millions in assets, with earnings reported around £37 million from sponsorship and brand deals on top of his club salary, thanks to his global brand and corporate partnerships with Adidas, Pepsi, Vodafone, Uber and Oppo.
This commercial income would not be possible without careful image rights structuring in his contracts and ongoing commercial exploitation of his brand beyond the pitch.
Negotiation Dynamics and Commercial Balance
Negotiating image rights is now a standard, but complex, part of contract discussions. Clubs know that high-profile signings without clear image rights agreements limit their commercial flexibility, especially with global sponsors expecting unencumbered likeness usage.
Players, on the other hand, also recognise the long-term value of retaining a portion of their image rights. While clubs want broad access for commercial activation, players want to maintain control and avoid unnecessary restrictions that could undermine their personal sponsorship potential.
This balance of power is why image rights negotiations can influence transfer outcomes. In the past, contract talks have been delayed or even collapsed due to disagreements over image rights terms, highlighting how critical these provisions have become in modern football economics.
Future Trends and Commercial Implications
As the commercial value of individual player brands continues to grow, propelled by social media, global broadcasting and digital commerce, clubs are likely to continue embedding image rights clauses into their contracts. In some cases, leagues and unions are even exploring more standardized governance models to balance commercial opportunity with player autonomy.
At the same time, evolving tax and regulatory environments (such as recent changes to how image rights earnings are treated for income tax in the UK) are likely to shape how clubs and players structure these arrangements in future.
Overall, image rights have moved from a niche legal detail to a cornerstone of modern football’s commercial architecture. The strategic division of those rights between player and club allows both sides to benefit from sponsorships, licensing, endorsements and global brand activation that extend far beyond the 90 minutes on the pitch.
Overall, image rights have moved from a niche legal detail to a cornerstone of modern football’s commercial architecture.