Samsung Football Ambassadors: From Messi to Thierry Henry

Thierry Henry became Samsung's newest football face on October 7, fronting the "Welcome to Foldables" campaign for the Galaxy Z Fold8, Fold8 Ultra and Flip8 across Europe, but Samsung has been selling Galaxy devices through footballers for more than a decade. What changes from deal to deal is less the sport than the product, because each signing lines up with whatever Samsung most needed to sell at the time, from the Galaxy Note 3 in 2013 to foldables and smartwatches in the 2020s.

This list covers every Samsung football ambassador deal for Galaxy products that Memeburn could verify through Samsung or trade press, in chronological order. It leaves out club sponsorships such as Samsung's Chelsea shirt deal and covers rival brands' football signings in a short section at the end.

Samsung's Football Ambassadors at a Glance Sale 20% Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8 Premium foldable smartphone combining tablet-sized display and flagship performance 5/5 Large foldable AMOLED display offers immersive multitasking Flagship processor delivers powerful, responsive performance Advanced camera system captures detailed photos and videos Year Player Market Galaxy products Career stage at signing 2013 to 2014 Galaxy 11 squad led by Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo Global Galaxy Note 3, Note 10.1, S4 Zoom, Galaxy Gear Active 2018 Zlatan Ibrahimović Nordics Galaxy S9, Galaxy Note 8 Active 2022 Raheem Sterling UK Galaxy Z Fold4 Active 2023 Son Heung-min Not stated Galaxy phones, Galaxy Watch6 Active 2024 Achraf Hakimi Middle East and North Africa Galaxy devices, Galaxy Watch Ultra Active 2026 Thierry Henry Europe Galaxy Z Fold8, Fold8 Ultra, Flip8 Retired The Galaxy 11 (2013 to 2014): Messi, Ronaldo and an Alien Invasion Samsung's Galaxy 11 campaign launched on November 1, 2013 and built a fictional team of 13 players, captained by Lionel Messi and including Cristiano Ronaldo, Wayne Rooney, Iker Casillas, Radamel Falcao, Mario Götze, Oscar and Landon Donovan, to defend Earth from an alien side in a match told through videos, according to BGR. Franz Beckenbauer played the coach, and the campaign promoted the Galaxy Note 3, Galaxy Note 10.1, Galaxy S4 Zoom and the first Galaxy Gear smartwatch in the run-up to the 2014 World Cup.

The Galaxy 11 remains Samsung's largest football campaign by star count, and it also produced the most famous slip in Samsung's ambassador history, when Beckenbauer posted the next chapter of the story from an iPhone, according to AppleInsider. It was also the last time Samsung put a global squad of active stars behind its phones, since every later football deal Memeburn found was tied to a single region or market.

Zlatan Ibrahimović and the Galaxy S9 (2018) Samsung's Nordic division signed Zlatan Ibrahimović in March 2018, when his announcement video showed him creating an AR Emoji on the Galaxy S9 and signing an autograph with the Galaxy Note 8's S Pen under the hashtag #DoWhatYouCant. The detail that made headlines was his previous phone, because the Swede was switching from an iPhone, according to SamMobile, which turned the signing into a switching story as much as an endorsement.

Raheem Sterling and the Galaxy Z Fold4 (2022) Samsung UK signed Raheem Sterling in August 2022 as an ambassador for its foldables on a one-year contract, with the Galaxy Z Fold4 as his hero device and presenter Fearne Cotton fronting the Flip4, according to Marketing Beat. Samsung positioned Sterling around making technology more accessible and promoting social mobility, linked to his foundation's work with young people, and the deal also covered the Galaxy Buds2 Pro and Galaxy Watch5.

It is the earliest football ambassador for a Samsung foldable that Memeburn found, four years before Henry. Son Heung-min and the Galaxy Watch6 (2023) Samsung Galaxy Watch9 44mm Bluetooth Smartwatch, AI Assistant, Fitness Tracker 5/5 Stay aware of the subtle changes in your body with Vitals, it tracks health metrics while you sleep Whether you're building endurance for a long trek or training to build muscle Instead of checking multiple metrics separately, track the single Heart Health Score, based on sleep time, BMI Samsung Galaxy Watch 8 Silver, 40mm, Bluetooth Smartwatch,Cushion Design 5/5 Advanced health and sleep tracking features, A lighter, more snug design for all day comfort Energize your days with a great night's rest using Advanced Sleep Coaching Maximize your days with a minimalist design.

The sleek, thinner-than-ever silhouette makes Galaxy Watch8 look as good as it functions Samsung confirmed Son Heung-min as a Galaxy brand ambassador on July 14, 2023, the same day the Tottenham forward was photographed at Incheon Airport wearing a Galaxy Watch6 nearly two weeks before Samsung officially unveiled it, according to KED Global. Samsung did not say whether the role was global or limited to South Korea, and it disclosed no contract terms, but the timing tied one of Asia's best-known footballers to a wearable launch rather than a phone.

Achraf Hakimi and the Galaxy Watch Ultra (2024) Samsung Galaxy Watch Ultra 2025 64GB, 47mm, Unlocked LTE, AI Smartwatch with 1.5 AMOLED 4.5/5 47mm - 1.5 Super AMOLED, 480x480px, 590mAh Battery, MIL-STD 810H certified IP68/10ATM 100m water resistant, ECG certified 64GB, 2GB RAM, Android Wear OS 5, One UI Watch 8 with AI Assistant Samsung's Middle East and North Africa division named Paris Saint-Germain and Morocco defender Achraf Hakimi its Galaxy brand ambassador on December 18, 2024, alongside a campaign called "The Next Big Thing Is You", according to Follow ICT. The launch material focused on the Galaxy Watch Ultra's health and fitness tracking and on Galaxy AI, which again put a footballer in front of wearables, where an athlete's credibility carries more weight than it does for a phone camera.