Bale to trademark goal celebration

Bale: Following Beckham’s footsteps

Tottenham star Gareth Bale has successfully won the image rights for his logo, which features his goal-celebration with a his shirt Number ’11′ inside the heart. Bale first showcased his celebration in 2010 for childhood sweetheart Emma Rhys-Jones.

The former Southampton player is set to follow the footsteps of another British icon David Beckham, who also cashed in on his image rights.

The Welsh international had filed an application to the Intellectual Property Office (IPO) to trademark a logo which copies the goal celebration gesture and reports suggest that he has been successful in his efforts to trademark the logo. The logo has been trademarked to be used on clothing, footwear and headgear as well as jewellery.

According to the IPO website, he has also applied to use the logo on leather goods, and “animal skins, hides; trunks and travelling bags; umbrellas, parasols and walking sticks; whips, harness and saddlery.”

Nigel Currie, director of sports marketing agency brand-rapport says Bale could earn millions through image rights, “The possibilities are huge for Gareth Bale. Once he has that right he can cash in on it and become a more well-known player.

“A third of his overall income could be made from his image rights, potentially up to £3million a year.” Currie said.

Source: ESPN