Cristiano Ronaldo built an empire around his value as a footballer and his image, now associated with the most exclusive brands in the world, such as Bugatti, which has the Portuguese star among its most high-profile clients, functioning as a kind of ambassador. Obviously, it wasn’t always like this. In 2005, when he was really starting to stand out at Alex Ferguson’s Manchester United, the Portuguese player was chosen as the face of the advertising campaign… for the Suzuki Swift, a small utility vehicle that refreshed the brand’s range.
The development of the campaign and all production were handled by the Dutch subsidiary of the brand, which chose Ronaldo considering the player’s notoriety, but also because his image suited the younger target audience that the car company aimed to reach.