Mario Balotelli made an immediate commercial impact upon signing with Liverpool. According to Liverpool CEO Ian Ayre, the club generated €63,000 in shirt sales on the day of his signing alone. This amounted to 769 shirts sold bearing Balotelli’s name—an impressive figure highlighting the Italian striker’s marketability, despite the controversy that often surrounded his career.
This data was shared during a “Soccerex” conference in Manchester, emphasizing how star players can drive merchandise revenue almost instantly, regardless of their on-field performance.
