Thierry Henry has essentially gone from super to surplus at Barcelona, from indispensible to disposable. And for those doubters convinced the French star will never play for Red Bull, I would counter with the single most compelling athletes always move teams, make my argument with a single four-letter word:
CASH.
A scant four months ago, Henry was the world’s top-rated player in the newly-developed Castrol Rankings. And as flawed as the fledgling system may be _ with his three straight DNPs for Barcelona showing that there are indeed plenty of flaws _ Henry would be a league-changing star if he came to MLS. And, to paraphrase Terrell Owens’ publicist, he’s got several million reasons to come.
For three straight weeks, Henry has found himself persona non grata in Barcelona coach Pep Guardiola’s lineup. Barcelona prefers other options on the left, and while they need Henry for cover and leadership as long as they have a Champions League crown to defend this season, it seems increasingly likely that his future lies in New York, and that future may well start this summer instead of next.
Yes, Henry loves New York. And yes, Red Bull’s new 25,000-seat stadium is a draw; but it would also be good business. When Forbes recently compiled a list of the ten athletes with the most valuable brands in the world, Beckham trailed only Tiger Woods, but was the only soccer player to make the list. It’s no coincidence Roger Federer was the only non-U.S. based athlete to crack the Top 10.
That implies that the key American market is the ticket, and Beckham is the only soccer player to have truly cracked it….yet.
Futebol Finance’s research shows that Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Kaka were the two soccer players with the highest wages last year _ nine million euros _ but Beckham far outstripped both because of his advertising and sponsorships. Beckham’s base salary was just over half that of Ibrahimovic, but he raked in 27.4 million euros in ads and sponsorships, well over FIVE TIMES what Ibrahimovic made.
The highly-merketable Henry came in fifth overall thanks to his 9.5 million in ads and sponsors, but its not out of the question that a move to MLS could move him up to third, passing Cristiano Ronaldo and Ronaldinho.
And just as the so-called Beckham Rule was necessary for luring the English icon himself to MLS, the infamous Beckham Law might help the league lure Henry.
The Beckham Law is a tax break put in six years ago by the Spanish government that helped foreign workers, cutting the normal rate of 43 percent down to 24 percent over a six-year period.
After catching heat for five years, the government initially abolished the law. But after la Liga threatened strike and the clubs cried poverty _ that the players would lose wages and the teams could suffer up to $100 million in damages _ the government decided to merely alter the law, rather than abolish it.
The end result was as of this past New Year’s Day, only the lucky few players making over 7.2 million Euros annually (or 600,000 Euros per month) will get hit with the maximum tax, while all the others pay just 24%.
That means for the vast majority of players, la Liga will still have a big advantage over the Premier League or Serie A, like income tax-free states such as Florida and Texas have a leg up in recruiting NFL, NBA and baseball free-agents. But it also means for the world’s biggest stars, Spain is no longer the tax haven it once was.
Why would MLS fans care? There are only five stars who fit into that august category; and to paraphrase the great Bum Phillips, they may not be in a class by themselves, but it sure don’t take long to call roll: Cristiano Ronaldo, Lionel Messi, Ibrahimovic, Kaka and _ you guessed it _ Henry.
Ahh, now we’ve followed the money and come full circle.
According to Futebol Finance, his salary of 7.5 million euros ranked ninth-highest among soccer players; but his ad and sponsor haul of 9.5 million ranked fifth-best, as did his total income of 17 million last year. Henry has always been one of the most marketable soccer players, doing ads for Nike, Reebok, Pepsi and Gillette; his value would hardly be hurt by being in New York.
He appeared with the aforementioned Federer and Woods in a popular commercial for Gillette; he teamed up with Freddie Ljungberg in ads for Nike and Pepsi, the latter also including Beckham. Both photogenic soccer stars have brought their advertising muscle to MLS, and Henry would benefit by doing the same.
Cutting a deal akin to the one Beckham has with the Galaxy _ one that essentially lets him keep his image rights, unlike the 50-50 split he suffered with at Real Madrid and Manchester United _ benefits players who are actually marketable like Goldenballs and Ljungberg.
Henry is the perfect example of just that. He would also be the perfect addition for the Red Bulls and MLS. Shockingly enough, New York _ along with the media machine and endorsements it can offer _ might actually be perfect for Henry as well.
