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From Telegraph
Henry drops bombshell by moving to Reebok
By David Bond (Filed: 12/04/2006)
Nike, the American sportswear corporation, were dealt a major blow yesterday by Thierry Henry's shock transfer to their arch rivals, Reebok.
While Arsenal might be more concerned with Henry's decision on a new contract with the club, the move is nevertheless a major surprise, coming only 58 days before the start of the World Cup finals in Germany.
In a major coup for Reebok, and their German owners Adidas, Henry's lucrative deal with Nike, thought to be worth at least £1 million a year, will come to an end after the tournament.
From Aug 1 he will instead become the latest sporting icon to appear in Reebok's "I Am What I Am" campaign, which in America has mixed rap stars such as 50 Cent and Jay Z with basketball heroes such as Allen Iverson. British boxer Amir Khan was recently hired to join the advertising campaign.
But for now Henry is still a key member of Nike's stable of top players, which includes Barcelona's Brazilian forward, Ronaldinho, and Wayne Rooney, the Manchester United and England striker. Rooney is to feature in advertisments timed to coincide with the start of the World Cup in June.
The Henry announcement was made by Adidas in central London yesterday. Nike are known to be puzzled at suggestions that Henry decided to quit after becoming unhappy with the way he was being promoted. They cite the fact that last year they asked Henry to front an anti-racism campaign after the Frenchman urged them to get involved.
Publicly Nike refused to be drawn on the issue, and after confirming that the contract would be ending after the World Cup, a spokesperson said: "We have very much enjoyed working with Thierry and we wish him nothing but the best in his future career."
The president and chief executive of Reebok, Paul Harrington, said: "Thierry Henry will become the new face of the Reebok brand in Europe. He transcends the game of football."
Harrington added: "His public stance against racism and his commitment to be involved in social issues outside of football truly epitomise our campaign 'I Am What I Am'." |
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