Wayne Rooney to be 'face of Mercedes'
Author: Robin Brown
Published: 19 August 2008
Wayne Rooney is set to become the new face of Mercedes as part of a two-year deal that will see the Manchester United and England striker received a £120K Mercedes-Benz CL63 AMG.
Rooney will also have the use of a chauffeured Mercedes limousine and will not be allowed to use any of his fleet of cars from other manufacturers.
But industry watchers have questioned the appointment of the 22-year-old from Croxteth, Liverpool as a brand ambassador for the premium German manufacturer.
"Ordinarily you'd expect Mercedes to choose someone aspirational and classy to advertise its cars, and it's fair to say Wayne Rooney doesn't fit that category, said cultural commentator Peter York said.
"It's extremely strange. You have to ask who chose him? Was it someone who has misunderstood his image or was it perhaps a calculated move to ensure people talked about it?
"It's possible it will backfire and put off traditional Mercedes customers - but perhaps their choice of Rooney reflects the fact that the kind of people prepared to spend a fortune on a smart car nowadays are not particularly smart people."
Mercedes confirmed that Rooney would act as the 'face' of Mercedes and that he will appear in marketing materials for the brand.
Rooney already owns an Aston Martin Vanquish, BMW X5, a Bentley Continental GT, Cadillac Escalade, Range Rover Sport and a Lamborghini Gallardo. But while signed to Mercedes he will only appear in Merc finery in public.
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