Scoring with the world game

As the likes of Beckham, Ronaldo and Rooney become international celebrities, watchmakers realise the benefits of being associated with a truly global sport still growing in popularity

Anyone who has tried to make conversation with a man during a soccer match will understand the term 'talking to the wall'. Men have an incredible ability to zone in on a match, blocking out all distractions. The beautiful game would seem like an obvious platform to use in order to target a male audience and certain watch brands have begun to realise this potential.

Watchmakers have a long history of collaborating with sports and sporting events but soccer wasn't one of them until recently. The game has always been hugely popular but the value of the sport has increased massively in the past five years. Players are not just sports stars but have joined the celebrity ranks and are suited and booted by brands such as Hugo Boss and Giorgio Armani.

Within the stadiums, the areas dedicated to VIPs, corporate clubs and company boxes have substantially increased. Stadium design now represents state-of-the-art architecture from elite designers like Herzog & de Meuron, who designed the Allianz Arena home of Bayern Munich in Germany, and Norman Foster, who was responsible for the new Wembley Stadium in London.

Newcastle United's England striker Michael Owen has been an ambassador for Tissot watches for the past 10 years. A limited-edition Number 10 timepiece was designed in his honour, 10 being a reference to the number on his jersey.

More recently, both Ebel and Hublot have seen the opportunities in soccer sponsorship and both have high-profile deals with major championships or clubs.