David Beckham loses Police sunglasses contract

by Sarah Woods, Brand Republic 12-Oct-06, 12:00

LONDON - Footballer David Beckham has been dropped as the face of Police sunglasses and is to be replaced by actor Antonio Banderas.

The footballer, who stood down as England captain after this year's World Cup, has held a £1m-a-year contract with Police for the past six years.

Beckham's contract was due to come to an end in September, but sources told the Daily Mail that in the months running up to that there were issues about the World Cup and resulting fall-out of Beckham's retirement as England captain. The source said: "The decision to go for a more worldwide-appeal personality came in the light of that.

"Antonio was seen as more of an alpha male. The brand was more keen to have a personality which meant more to US audiences."

However, the footballer's own sources say that it was his decision to end the deal. They said: "It prevented him from doing other things -- launching his own range of sunglasses, for example."

In July, independent brand evaluation firm Brand Finance said that Beckham's decision to stand down as England captain is going to "dent his ability to get huge contracts".

Earlier this year, Beckham signed a three-year deal with Motorola to promote its products, after being dropped from rival Vodafone last July. In 2004, he signed a three-year deal to become the global face of Gillette for a reported £40m although there are reports he has since been dropped by Gillette. He did not appear in ads for the Gillette Fusion, its new five-blade razor.

His contracts with Pepsi and Adidas are understood to be worth in the region of £10m.

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