{"id":334387,"date":"2026-01-13T12:51:12","date_gmt":"2026-01-13T10:51:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.monaco-tribune.com\/2026\/01\/charles-leclerc-paul-pogba-how-athletes-are-turning-their-image-into-a-brand\/"},"modified":"2026-01-16T16:31:34","modified_gmt":"2026-01-16T14:31:34","slug":"charles-leclerc-paul-pogba-how-athletes-are-turning-their-image-into-a-brand","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.monaco-tribune.com\/en\/2026\/01\/charles-leclerc-paul-pogba-how-athletes-are-turning-their-image-into-a-brand\/","title":{"rendered":"Charles Leclerc, Paul Pogba\u2026 how athletes are turning their image into a brand"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

From artisan ice cream to clothing lines and camel racing, athletes are no longer content with lending their face to brands \u2014 they are creating their own. We take an in-depth look at a phenomenon in which fame in sport becomes capital to be leveraged.<\/strong><\/p><\/p>\n\n\n\n

On 10 December 2025, an unexpected video appeared on Instagram<\/a>. Paul Pogba, the AS Monaco midfielder, was not seen with a ball at his feet, but in the Saudi desert, alongside camels. The 2018 World Cup winner had just officially acquired a stake in Al Haboob<\/a>, the world\u2019s first professional camel racing stable. One month earlier, Charles Leclerc surprised fans by launching CL16, his clothing brand \u2014 a year after unveiling LEC, his artisan ice-cream label. Two Monegasque champions, two bold side ventures, and a shared logic: transforming a name into a commercial empire. How did these athletes move from celebrity status to becoming brands in their own right?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

From fame to brand<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Before becoming a brand, athletes must first exist in the media space. This visibility, explains Jean-Philippe Danglade, professor at Kedge Business School in Marseille and a specialist in sports marketing, can be broken down into several layers. \u201cFame comes from the sport itself, membership of certain teams, performance and results.<\/em>\u201d Football \u2014 the world\u2019s most global sport \u2014 or Formula 1, popularised by Netflix documentaries, offer unparalleled exposure. The French national team, Juventus, Manchester United \u2014 in Paul Pogba\u2019s case \u2014 or Ferrari for Charles Leclerc: these institutions act as accelerators of fame.<\/p><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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\"L\u00e9o,
L\u00e9o, the Monegasque driver\u2019s dog, acts as ambassador for his owner\u2019s brand<\/em> \u00a9 Instagram \u2013 Charles Leclerc<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

This process is now amplified in the social media age. For athletes, digital reputation shapes an identity that goes beyond sport alone \u2014 what St\u00e9phane Amato, a researcher in information and communication sciences, calls the shift \u201cfrom brand-person to person-as-brand<\/em>\u201d*. The individual ceases merely to be associated with brands and becomes an autonomous commercial entity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

* St\u00e9phane Amato, Communication & Organisation<\/em> (2017)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Paul Pogba, AS Monaco midfielder, becomes shareholder in camel racing team<\/a><\/blockquote>