Bellingham, the 21-year-old midfield sensation, was the hero for the Three Lions against Slovakia earlier in Euro 2024 , scoring an impressive overhead kick to keep England in the tournament . This was just another highlight from the young player who was named La Liga Player of the Year in his debut season with Real Madrid.
Prior to the tournament, it was revealed that Bellingham is dating PrettyLittleThing model Valk, 25, known as Laura Celia on social media. With his rising fame, the former Birmingham City prodigy is tipped to become a more valuable icon than Ronaldo, whose net worth currently stands at $250 million - making him the world's highest-paid athlete.
Despite a dream start to his career at Madrid, winning both La Liga and the Champions League, Bellingham still has some distance to cover to match Ronaldo's earning power. Currently, Bellingham's net worth is estimated at $50 million, thanks to endorsement deals with brands like Lucozade and McDonald's.
However, this figure is expected to increase significantly in the coming years. "Bellingham has the potential to exceed Ronaldo and Messi in terms of marketability," Dr Rob Wilson, a Professor of Applied Sport Finance, told Saxo . "If we had this conversation in 10 years' time and Bellingham continues his trajectory with Real Madrid, then I think he will surpass (Kylian) Mbappe considerably.
"We talk about (Lionel) Messi and Ronaldo in relatively balanced terms - there is a debate over who is the better player and who has achieved more - I think Bellingham will exceed what Mbappe can do. His age and the fact he has only just got to Real Madrid, is massively stacked in his favor.
“I think his image and his authenticity make him hugely marketable, whereas Mbappe does not have that. Whether it is because he has played in France or the fact he played in Messi's shadow, I just don't think he has the brand activation that Bellingham could have."
His girlfriend Laura Celia, who has more than 500k Instagram followers, is a creative business graduate from the Amsterdam University of Applied Science. She founded Bobby Rose Agency a content and consultancy firm and is represented by the Manchester-based Four Models agency.
The England sensation is no stranger to the glitz of the fashion industry, thanks to his partnerships with Adidas and Louis Vuitton, not to mention a connection with Kim Kardashian's SKIMS. Dr Wilson speculates that Bellingham's budding romance with Valk could propel them into an earning league akin to that of Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce.
"Bellingham is quite similar to Travis Kelce in that way with Taylor Swift, there is an alignment and exposure,” he added. "From a brand alignment, it would be interesting to see if they ever do any co-activation, where they are both involved in promotion, but there will be a lot of off-field work as well. There will also be a natural increase in the level of exposure to brands like PrettyLittleThing as a result of the indirect association.
"The really smart commercial people will be looking at that and thinking, 'PrettyLittleThing is a really well thought of brand, as are Real Madrid, there might be a chance of some co-activation'. It could be worth millions for Bellingham and Real Madrid."
Get updates delivered to you daily. Free and customizable.
Welcome to NewsBreak, an open platform where diverse perspectives converge. Most of our content comes from established publications and journalists, as well as from our extensive network of tens of thousands of creators who contribute to our platform. We empower individuals to share insightful viewpoints through short posts and comments. It’s essential to note our commitment to transparency: our Terms of Use acknowledge that our services may not always be error-free, and our Community Standards emphasize our discretion in enforcing policies. We strive to foster a dynamic environment for free expression and robust discourse through safety guardrails of human and AI moderation. Join us in shaping the news narrative together.
Most Popular
Comments / 0