Northern Ireland vs Switzerland (21/03/2025)

But there’s one thing some footballers can do that elevates them to the premier league of big bucks: endorse, endorse, endorse. From Beckham’s kecks to Lineker’s crisps, Saka’s suds to Crouch’s betting slips, footy stars past and present have shifted everything from Calvins to Walker’s, Persil to Paddy Power. And who can forget Southgate’s cheesy Pizza Hut send-up following his Euro ’96 penalty miss? Or former Northern Ireland manager Lawrie McMenemy ahead of the curve with his zero alcohol Barbican beer promo? Great stuff. Brands know the selling power of superstar footballers, including our very own George Best and Pat Jennings. Big Pat famously flogged Frosties, standing in goal against Tony the Tiger and, in a less well known outing, he endorsed Unipart by saving shots dressed as an oil filter because, as the advert states, ‘an oil filter is like a goalkeeper, the more it saves the better it is’. Now there’s one tagline that’s a bit of a stretch… George Best put his name to all manner of merch, but nothing can beat his elevation of the iconic Cookstown sizzle to pan-Norn Iron prominence. Cookstown District Council duly honoured his sausage role by erecting a commemorative plaque at the palace of pork, an achievement that must rank up there alongside his Ballon d’Or! Much like Pat’s Unipart promo, Best also featured in a less familiar ad for British eggs. The story goes that his failure to eat the protein-packed ovoid cost him the match, but even this dip in form failed to fend off amorous advances from young ladies – definitely worth a YouTube watch. Aside from Jennings and Best, it seems very few other of our footballing legends have managed to secure lucrative ad deals. I do, however, recall Norman Whiteside shifting shower gel around the time our boys were doing the business in Espana in 1982.

But why has no forward thinking ad agency signed up more recent or current Northern Ireland internationals to help elevate their wares? Surely Will Grigg would have ignited sales of Sunny Jims? Josh Magennis is a shoo-in to endorse a certain (almost) namesake stout. Conor Bradley could sign for Stena Line and turn the Belfast-Liverpool route into a nice little earner. And, with a surname like his, Isaac Price would work a treat promoting a certain furniture shop on Belfast’s Shore Road. Am I Rite? Our modern day footballers may remain on the ad break bench, but Golden Girl Lady Mary Peters has successfully showcased her acting chops in another well-known furniture store commercial. Fellow Northern Ireland sports star Carl Frampton has also turned his skills to the small screen by delivering ‘knockout prices’ in Spar’s Mega Deals campaign. Carl readily admits he’s now better known as ‘the wee man off the supermarket advert’ than as a world champion boxer. The same can’t be said for fellow fighter Barry McGuigan’s attempt to cultivate his own edibles empire back in the day. While Gary’s Salt & Lineker snacks bagged the former England striker sackfuls of wonga, sadly ‘Barry’s Jabs’, the Clones Cyclone’s foray into nettle flavour crisps, failed to fly off the shelves. Maybe the ‘I’m a Celebrity… Get Me Out of Here’ star can reboot with a new Jungle inspired seasoning? Kangaroo testicles anyone? With the right connections and a wee bit of imagination, the footballers you see on the pitch tonight could soon be selling all sorts on your Insta feed. Or starring alongside Becks in a 2026 Superbowl ad ahead of our inevitable World Cup appearance in North America! And if any of the aforementioned endorsement ideas bear fruit, I’m hereby claiming my 10 per cent.

IRISHFA.COM

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