CAA Sports, a division of leading entertainment and sports agency CAA, and Gestifute, a leading sports management company, have formed a global partnership to represent the world’s premier soccer players and coaches. Clients include Manchester United’s Cristiano Ronaldo, the 2007 and 2008 Professional Footballers’ Association Players’ Player of the Year and Fans’ Player of the Year, and José Mourinho, the two-time International Federation of Football History and Statistics World’s Best Club Coach of the Year.
CAA Sports and Gestifute will work to create global opportunities for current and future clients in the areas of endorsements, speaking engagements, licensing and merchandising, publishing, film, television, video games, and the Internet.
Founded in 1996, Gestifute is led by FIFA agent Jorge Mendes, who recently negotiated Mourinho’s £21 million, three-year contract with Inter Milan.
“We wanted a partner who could create the best opportunities for our clients across a wide spectrum of possibilities,” said Gestifute Director Luis Correia. “With CAA, our clients will benefit from an unmatched spectrum of services and expertise that capitalizes on the global scale of soccer.”
“In addition to succeeding for a spectacular roster of clients, Gestifute has demonstrated a forward-thinking approach to the business of sports representation," said Michael Levine, co-head, CAA Sports. "We know they will be a powerful ally in forging exciting opportunities for our current combined roster of soccer clients and in growing our partnership to include new players and coaches.”
“CAA and Gestifute working together can only mean great things for players,” said Ronaldo, who led Manchester United both the English Premier League title and the UEFA Champions League title for the 2007-08 season. “I want to be surrounded by the best advisors possible to help me on the pitch and off. CAA knows how to elevate and expand careers, and I am thrilled by my new combined representation.”
Mourinho added, “I believe this new partnership has every ingredient for success and I look forward to being a part of it.”
In addition to Ronaldo and Mourinho, clients include Ricardo Carvalho (Chelsea/Portuguese National team), Anderson (Manchester United/Brazilian National Team), Nani (Manchester United/Portuguese National Team), Deco (Chelsea FC/Portuguese National Team), Ricardo Quaresma (FC Porto/ Portuguese National Team), 2002 World Cup-winning head coach Luiz Felipe Scolari (Chelsea FC), and the young GP2 driver Alvaro Parente.
CAA Sports entered into the soccer business in early 2007, when it helped orchestrate the landmark deal that brought David Beckham to the U.S. to play for the Los Angeles Galaxy, and, working with Beckham’s manager, Simon Fuller, has since inked worldwide endorsement deals for the international superstar. Most recently, CAA Sports was hired by Chelsea FC to help grow their brand worldwide and provide counsel in other business areas. CAA Sports also orchestrated the deal for Swedish star Freddie Ljungberg to transfer to West Ham United FC from Arsenal FC and has brokered multiple international endorsement deals for Ljungberg. For FC Barcelona midfielder Ronaldinho, CAA Sports secured a global endorsement deal with Alticor’s Nutrilite brand. In addition to traditional athlete representation, CAA Sports possesses expertise in helping non-U.S. soccer clubs gain valuable exposure in North America through high-profile exhibition matches. CAA Sports also worked closely with former Walt Disney Studios and Twentieth Century Fox Chairman Joe Roth, helping navigate his purchase of a Seattle-based Major League Soccer expansion team and his co-owner partnership with Paul Allen.
About Gestifute
Gestifute is a company managing the careers of professional sportsmen. It was founded in 1996 and currently has offices in Porto and Lisbon (Portugal). It is led by the FIFA Agent Jorge Mendes, who represents several of the world's top coaches and footballers, providing them with a meticulous, thorough and professional service.
The discovery and promotion of young talent is also one of the main objectives of the company, providing careful career planning in a family-like atmosphere. This positive working environment is made possible by Gestifute’s team structure that includes nearly 20 experienced and dedicated professionals. Indeed, this approach is a main factor in the success of Gestifute, which has been behind some of the major transfers in world football.
In addition, through PolarisSports, Gestifute is the commercial manager of image rights for professional sportsmen. It also supplies marketing and advertising solutions, including special event creation, that associate its players and coaches with prestigious international brands while addressing the needs of brand marketers.
About CAA Sports
CAA Sports represents more than 400 of the world's best athletes, coaches, on-air broadcasters, and sports personalities, including the five most recent NFL MVPs, the 2007 NHL MVP, the MVP of the 2007 NBA Finals, baseball’s 2007 National League Rookie of the Year, the two-time reigning NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Champion, and many of the world’s best tennis players. Beyond traditional athlete representation, CAA Sports provides unique opportunities for clients off the field, in areas including licensing, endorsements, speaking, philanthropy, and video games. CAA Sports also works in the areas of broadcast rights, corporate marketing initiatives, and sports properties for sales/sponsorship opportunities, winning the highly-coveted global partnership with the New York Yankees to bring to market a major long-term corporate sponsorship for the new Yankee Stadium. CAA Sports is a division of Creative Artists Agency (CAA), an entertainment agency that represents the world’s most successful actors, directors, writers, producers and artists working in film, television, music, theatre, and video games, and provides a range of strategic marketing services to corporate clients.
Contacts:
Beth McClinton, 424-288-2000
bmcclinton@caa.com
or
Gestifute/PolarisSports
Bárbara
Vara, +351 218987070
barbara.vara@polarissports.com.pt
