The short answer: Image rights cover the commercial use of a player's name, face and personality. Clubs pay players, often through a separate agreement, for the right to use their image in marketing, merchandise and sponsorship.
What exactly are image rights in football?
Image rights are the commercial value of a player's identity: their face, name, signature, voice and personal brand. They are legally distinct from playing services.
- Shirt sales and merchandise featuring the player.
- Club advertising and sponsorship campaigns.
- Social media promotion and appearances.
Because these are commercial rather than employment activities, they are often handled in a separate contract.
Why are image rights paid separately?
Splitting image rights from the playing contract reflects that they are genuinely different services and can be more tax-efficient. Some players assign rights to a company that licenses them to the club.
Tax authorities scrutinise these arrangements closely to ensure the split reflects real commercial value rather than disguised salary, so the percentages must be defensible.
How much of a contract can image rights represent?
For elite, marketable players, image rights payments can be substantial, though tax rules in many countries cap the proportion that can reasonably be attributed to image rather than playing.
For lesser-known players image rights are often minimal. Building a recognisable profile increases commercial value over time. Players can grow visibility by maintaining a strong presence and using search players tools to benchmark peers.
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