And the highest paid athlete in 2021 is... Conor McGregor. With 180 million dollars gleaned between May 1, 2020 and May 1, 2021, the Ultimate Fighting champion (mixed martial arts) is ahead of Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo, two football gods! This ranking, established each year by Forbes, combines sporting and non-sporting income. In the case of the Irish fighter, the latter (158 million dollars) are far superior to the bonuses amassed in the cage (22 million dollars). The reason: Conor McGregor sold his majority stake in Irish whiskey Proper No, launched just three years ago...
This financial tumble, other personalities realized it before him. George Clooney sold Casamigos, a tequila created with two friends, to the British group Diageo for 850 million euros! It was 2017 and its "ultra-premium" agave alcohol was already a great success with some 120,000 cases sold the year preceding this historic "deal". Since then, actor Ryan Reynolds has bought Aviation gin (before selling his shares to Diageo last year); Dwayne Johnson - aka "The Rock" - launched his Teremana Tequila, and Bob Dylan his Heaven's Door whiskey collection.
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Spirits, a new martingale for celebrities looking for juicy investments? "Creating a top-of-the-range alcohol is not so simple", retorts Marie-Alix Sainteix, brand manager of Maison Villevert, which distributes Casamigos in France - the Cognac company also produces Ciroc vodka, which is wildly successful in the United States. United since its association with rapper Puff Daddy. "George Clooney was one of the first to embark on this niche with the ambition of making an excellent juice. He was able to surround himself with a good manufacturer, then offer packaging that was different from what existed on the market. ."
But does a good product justify the amount of the check signed by Diageo? "We must not forget the image rights which can be enormous. In France, the Evin law prohibits advertising for alcohol using the services of a star, but in the United States, a delivery truck that travels the roads of the country with the smile of George Clooney printed on its cargo inevitably generates spin-offs", concludes Marie-Alix Sainteix.
For the moment, the famous French people are not jostling at the gate of the manna of spirits. The fault with the Evin law? Booba launched DUC, a "triple cask" whiskey (aged in three different barrels) in 2017. We can't say that he left his mark. Perhaps because of too rapid a presence on the shelves of supermarkets, incompatible with the "premium" image that suits bottles stamped "people". A pitfall unknown to Le Philtre, the organic vodka launched by brothers Frédéric and Charles Beigbeder, and by Guillaume Rappeneau. A story of friends, like Casamigos. "We have just celebrated our first anniversary, Le Philtre is distributed in 350 addresses in France, Belgium, Switzerland, Spain and we are invading Ibiza this summer!" enthuses the writer, who is pleased to have recorded “good sales, despite the health crisis, especially among luxury wine merchants, organic grocery stores and on e-commerce platforms”.
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His advice to stars who would like to enter the market? "Being sincere, looking for quality rather than quantity, having fun above all and above all offering something new... If it's to put your name on a rotten product, then it requires a very big check! " On good terms...
Alcohol abuse is dangerous for health. To consume with moderation.
