World Cup 2010: David Beckham Out-Plays Ronaldo and Messi Without Taking to the Pitch

World Cup 'flops' retain commercial value

LONDON, July 9, 2010 - England might have crashed out of the World Cup, but David Beckham will
still take home a trophy after out-playing Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel
Messi, without setting foot on the pitch.

    (Logo: photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20100428/NY95307LOGO )
    (Logo: www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20100428/NY95307LOGO )

The footballer, sidelined with an injury throughout England's dismal
World Cup campaign, has this week topped a global poll of licensing
professionals taken by premier licensing trade exhibition, Brand Licensing
Europe 2010.

The worldwide poll looked at the commercial licensing value of World Cup
legends past and present. The research analysed the potential money players
can make away from the pitch by licensing their name and image to third
parties for use in merchandise, like clothing, toys, games, books and films.

A phenomenal 61% of respondents said Beckham had the most commercial
licensing value of past World Cup legends, ahead of Brazilian pair, Pele on
28% and Ronaldo on 4%, with feisty Argentine coach, Diego Maradona, on 3%.

Amongst the current crop, five players topped the poll despite poor
showings in South Africa. Portuguese playboy Cristiano Ronaldo led the way on
37%, followed by Argentine Lionel Messi on 19%, a grumpy Wayne Rooney on 16%,
Brazil's Kaka on 10% and American superstar, Landon Donovan on 7%.

The survey boasts feedback from a diverse global panel of heavyweight
licensing brands across many sectors, including sportswear, retail and FMCG,
gaming, toy, automotive and fashion, plus an interesting sample of global
media organisations, from newspapers to film, digital and technology brands.

Jessica Blue, event director, Brand Licensing Europe 2010 said:

"The World Cup is one of the biggest sporting events in the world and its
players, their talents and their images have been showcased to a global
audience like never before. The way these players license their brands is a
vital part of their commercial power both during and after their football
career. It will be fascinating to see how this unfolds during the final
stages of the tournament and whether the final itself will give birth to a
new global star."

Brand Licensing Europe will take place at Olympia between 28 - 30
September 2010. Sports brands are expected from all around the globe, with
confirmed exhibitors including: The Football Association, Manchester United,
West Ham United FC, FC Barcelona, Juventus, Wembley Stadium, the RFU, NBA,
Nike Merchandising, Ultimate Fighting Championship, MotoGP, Renault F1 Team,
Dunlop, Slazenger, Everlast, Lonsdale and the FIA World Rally Championship.

Full results:

Who do you think has the most commercial licensing value from the
following list of World Cup 2010 players? *

    Cristiano Ronaldo - Portugal - 36.9%
    Lionel Messi - Argentina - 18.7%
    Wayne Rooney - England - 15.8%
    Kaka - Brazil - 10.4%
    Landon Donovan - USA - 7.0%
    Fernando Torres - Spain - 4.9%
    Gianluigi Buffon - Italy - 1.8%
    Didier Drogba - Cote d'Ivoire - 1.3%
    Tim Cahill - Australia - 1.3%
    Franck Ribery - France - 0.8%
    Sebastian Schweinstieger - Germany - 0.5%
    Park Ji-Sung - South Korea - 0.5%
    Arjen Robben - Holland - 0%
    Michael Essien - Ghana - 0%

Who has the most commercial licensing value from the following list of
World Cup legends? *

    David Beckham - England - 61.0%
    Pele - Brazil - 28.1%
    Ronaldo - Brazil - 4.4%
    Diego Maradona - Argentina - 3.1%
    Bobby Moore - England - 1.6%
    Paolo Rossi - Italy - 1.0%
    Johan Cruyff - Holland - 0.3%
    Eusebio - Portugal - 0.3%
    Michel Platini - France - 0.3%
    Geoff Hurst - England - 0%
    Franz Beckenbauer - Germany - 0%

* Brand Licensing Europe 2010 World Cup Survey, July 2010. 395
respondents.

Notes to editors:

About Brand Licensing Europe 2010:

Brand Licensing Europe 2010 (www.brandlicensing.eu) - taking place
September 28 - 30 at Olympia in London is the only pan-European event
dedicated to licensing and brand extension. Now in its 12th successful year,
Brand Licensing Europe 2009 hosted 180 exhibitors and 4862 retailers,
manufacturers and sales promotion professionals from 58 countries.

About Advanstar Global Licensing Group:

Advanstar Communications Inc. (www.advanstar.com) producer of
Licensing International Expo, Brand Licensing Central & Eastern Europe and
Brand Licensing Europe is a leading worldwide media company providing
Integrated marketing solutions for the Fashion, Life Sciences and Powersports
industries. Advanstar serves business professionals and consumers in these
industries with its portfolio of 147 events, 68 publications and directories,
267 electronic products and Web sites, as well as educational and direct
marketing products and services. Market leading brands and a commitment to
delivering innovative, quality products and services enables Advanstar to
"Connect Our Customers With Theirs." Advanstar has approximately 1,000
employees and currently operates from multiple offices in North America and
Europe.

Byron McCaughey, Braben, +44-0207-025-8021, ble2010 at braben.co.uk