Selena Gomez announced her official partnership with Puma in 2017, adding $30 million to her net worth. Gomez appeared in several commercials for the brand and received this amount for a two-year term. However, Gomez’s Puma deal is modest compared to other major celebrity sports brand endorsements.
Luxury sports brands like Nike and Adidas have enlisted several high-profile celebrities as their brand ambassadors, offering them lucrative paychecks. These celebrities include Lionel Messi, Tiger Woods, David Beckham, and Serena Williams.
When Selena Gomez announced her partnership with Puma on Instagram, fans were not surprised by her $30 million deal with the sports brand (via E! News). It was one of the less expensive sports brand endorsement deals by a celebrity. While $30 million might seem substantial for a few social media posts and commercials, it’s relatively modest compared to the deals of sports legends like Lionel Messi and Tiger Woods.
Argentinian soccer legend Lionel Messi has a lifetime deal with Adidas, bringing him a staggering billion dollars in value. Messi signed this deal in 2017 after serving as a spokesperson for the brand for many years. The agreement requires him to wear Adidas shoes and jerseys and appear in their commercials and campaigns. Messi earns more than $1 billion from this partnership, receiving a percentage of the income from sales of Messi-branded merchandise. Sports Brief estimates this to be around $19.2 million per annum.
Tiger Woods’ $200 million deal with Nike, though not as immense as Messi’s, still dwarfs Gomez’s deal. Woods’ first multi-year contract with Nike, signed in 1996, was worth $40 million. The subsequent deals included a $100 million contract in 2001 and another in 2006. His most recent contract with Nike was reported to be worth $200 million in 2013. According to Fortune, Woods and Nike parted ways in 2024 after 27 years and $660 million in contracts.
David Beckham signed a contract with Adidas in 2003, receiving an upfront payment of $80 million. The endorsement deal had a reported value of $160 million (via ESPN), surpassing Tiger Woods’ deal with Nike at the time and LeBron James’ $90 million contract with Nike. Beckham also earned a percentage of the profits from the campaigns he participated in.
Serena Williams secured a deal with Nike at just 21 years old in 2003, becoming the only female athlete with a sports brand deal of such magnitude. The initial contract was worth $40 million for five years, with an extension clause that could pay her $55 million if she met certain career achievements (via ESPN).
Despite the comparatively smaller brand deal, Selena Gomez remains one of the few non-athletic celebrities to land such a significant contract with a sports brand.
