Throughout the years of turbulence and poor club management at Manchester United, the one constant, reliable performer on the field has been Bruno Fernandes. The Portuguese midfielder has carried the Red Devils, but at the end of next season, his contract will expire.
Right now, he’s easily the team’s most bankable star, and as it stands, the 31-year-old will be relied on to spearhead a grand return to the Champions League. With this, United look to fly back up the income standings, and while doing so, should probably look to leverage new marketing avenues with Fernandes in the spotlight.
Banking on Bruno
As the face of the team, Manchester United could lean on Fernandes’ prominence in new marketing avenues. One arena that many other brands and the sport are looking to is the library of games at the slots casino. Here, Game of Thrones headlines the brands, while the Frankie Dettori games show there’s a place for sports stars here, too.
Plus, with the World Cup on the way, many more soccer slots have arrived, such as Goal Goal Goal: Packinko Goal. So, there’s potential for an official Bruno or Red Devils slot to further promote the team in this growing space of online entertainment. While in the digital arena, former virtual efforts could be resurrected.
Old Trafford can only hold so many fans, but there is a way to give a stadium view to online users. Back in 2020, one of United’s lead sponsors set up virtual seats to let fans all over the world take a seat in the stadium. With a feature like this only being limited by the quality of tech in play, it could result in thousands more tickets sold.
While now a much smaller piece of the revenue pie for the club, matchday revenues were still holding at over £110 million. This made it an 18 percent piece rather than a 41 percent piece in 2019, compared to 2009. With this figure becoming somewhat stagnant, an effort like virtual seats could help to zap some new life into the figures.
Still a very valuable team
Results on the pitch will ultimately continue to drive United’s revenues, and Bruno Fernandes is a huge part of that. However, success on the pitch can lead to more success elsewhere if used correctly. Given the lack of direction among the club’s hierarchy, they should look to cash in on Fernandes while the going is good.
Securing a top-five spot will greatly boost revenues next season and raise the profile of the team on the international stage once again. Even without being in Europe, United remains the second-most valuable soccer team in the world, so it’d be fair to say that they’ve got a hefty springboard to launch from.
The return to the Champions League and the talent and popularity of Fernandes should be combined to maximize merchandising potential. Even if the club goes big in the summer to bring in a few more bankable stars, none will be as much of a guaranteed seller as Fernandes right now.
After next season, Fernandes will be 32 years old and, most likely, not competing for the Premier League of Champions League titles while his contract runs down. It’d be a big ask to get him to stay, so the club’s marketing department should make the most of his star power while they can.
