Interview. “Ultra-Bright”* smile, charming look, fitted suit, Adil Rami is true to his reputation. In Monaco, the former Olympique de Marseille footballer was invited to the Sportel Awards ceremony on October 23, 2023. The 2018 world football champion in Russia does not refuse any photos and, above all, does not skimp on jokes. Retired from the professional field since June 2023, the native of Bastia (Corsica) is now embracing a career as a consultant at Prime Video. Under the large glass roof of the Principality’s Grimaldi forum, SportBusiness.Club was able to discuss this new experience and his vision of sports business with him.
How is your professional reconversion going?
Fair Rami : « I’m living it at 200 miles an hour. As per usual ! I’m learning to know myself again because this little death of a professional athlete is not easy to live with. It is a mandatory passage. I decided to be a consultant because it was easy for me. I have 17 years of football career behind me. I know what I’m talking about tactically, technically and emotionally. Prime Video and TF1, with whom I work, surround me and support me well in this new adventure.”
How did you prepare it?
A.R. : “I have been preparing for my post-career since my professional debut. I always had an unformatted speech. This has always satisfied the media and brands. This allows me to work today.”
What was your relationship with sponsors like during your career?
A.R. : “I delegated everything to my sister. She was the one who was in contact with the brands and who took care of the discussions. Once I had his approval, I wanted to meet the teams. I am emotional. I need to feel good vibes. Generally I had good relationships with brands and sponsors.”
You played in a team sport. So you lent your image to the sponsors of the clubs for which you played. Has this ever caused you a problem?
A.R. : « Never ! When my club asked me to participate in a sponsor day, I was the happiest. I was going all out. I took great pleasure in discovering other worlds. Sometimes brands asked me to act. It was great because it’s an area that I really like. And then beyond that, it was in my contract and I had to respect it. Between us, whether at Olympique de Marseille, AC Milan or the French team, we talk about big brands and it’s always very flattering to collaborate with them.”
Precisely in the French team, Kylian Mbappé publicly denounced the question of collective image rights. What do you think ?
A.R. : “Kylian Mbappé’s position on image rights is a bit extremist. Today when a brand partners with the French Football Federation (FFF), it is to benefit from the image of Kylian Mbappé. We all know it. It’s much easier for a brand to become a sponsor of the French team than of Kylian Mbappé. Afterwards, he’s another galaxy, he’s a potential Ballon d’Or. I have never been at this level of media coverage and attention. I never had to deal with the situations he found himself in. It should also be noted that as a French team, we have a huge number of obligations to respect towards sponsors.”
Do you think you are still “attractive” to brands even though your sporting career is behind you?
A.R. : « In all honesty, active professional footballers don’t attract that many sponsors, except for big stars like Kylian Mbappé, Cristiano Ronaldo or Lionel Messi. There are a lot more brands asking me since I hung up my crampons. This surprises me. With my sister and my teams, we decided not to accept anything so as not to appear like a puppet. I have a sense of humor but I don’t want to associate myself with anything. I take my time. I am serene.”
In your opinion, will Prime Video retain the rights to Ligue 1 for the 2024/2029 cycle?
A.R. : “I obviously want the TV rights to remain on Prime Video. But I don’t have any information about this. That’s a question for Amazon executives. I never understood any of this… (laughs) »
Interview: Titouan Laurent, special envoy to Monaco
© SportBusiness.Club October 2023
