‘David Beckham opened up this world’ - How footballers have started to recognise the importance of building a brand

Halls is a product of Arsenal’s fabled academy system and once graced the same squad in north London as Thierry Henry, Patrick Vieira and the title-winning ‘Invincibles’ of 2003-04. He never quite made it to the very top of the footballing tree, but - having retired at the age of 30 - has scaled those heights in the fashion industry while working for the likes of Giorgio Armani and Dolce & Gabbana.

He now watches on from afar as certain sporting platforms - such as entrances to NBA and NFL matches - become catwalks of sorts, with peacocking very much par for the course. Asked if that is a natural response to living life in the spotlight, Halls - speaking in association with top online casinos in Canada - told GOAL in an exclusive interview: “I think so. I think Beckham opened it up. We would be told, ‘You go to football, you're a footballer, and that is it - you go home after football, you eat, sleep, drink, you get ready for the game’.

“Beckham opened up this world of, okay, we can earn money elsewhere. We haven't got long careers, so now you need to look after yourself. So now people are brands, and we understand that, especially from social media and how big football is coming out, how big sport is, and how influential these players and people are in terms of selling things. And so they are brands.

“And luckily, or nicely, the teams let you do it. As long as you're playing well on the weekend, these guys are becoming these brands and there's so much money involved in it. Fair play, they're making money, it's only a short career. But really, it's the social media side of things now is taking it to a different level.”

GOAT rivals Ronaldo and Lionel Messi sit at the top of football’s food chain, on and off the field, with their respective portfolios including everything from hair transplant clinics to hotels. There are, however, more than enough pieces of the pie to go around.

On players having infinitely more opportunities to explore than they did 30 or 40 years ago, Halls - who turned to modelling after hanging up his boots - added: “Absolutely. We've always been taught ‘You're a footballer, be ready to play football’, that was it.

“So these guys opening it up for the rest of them, that is amazing. And fair play to anyone that makes their money through any closed deals or whatever. Take your money where you can, boys, because it's not a long career. It really isn't. You've got 10, 15 years and then you're out. Fair play to these boys that are trying to make their money and make themselves a brand.”

Fashion is proving to be an obvious crossover for sports stars, with plenty of disposable income at their fingertips to spend on looking sharp, and it comes as no surprise that many players have headed down that path. Jesse Lingard has had his own clothing line, Adebayo Akinfenwa is fully ‘Beast Mode On’ and Marvin Morgan enjoyed considerable success with Fresh Ego Kid.

Quizzed on whether he expects more to take that plunge, Halls said: “Absolutely. Especially nowadays, you need to make something really sort of quality or you need to have the followers. If you've got the followers, you can kind of put something out there where you'll probably get some traction.

“I did try myself. I was trying to do my own trouser line with a model friend of mine. We got really close to releasing, but in terms of just me and him also being models and flying away here and there, it was kind of impossible to do. I'm such a control freak. I wanted everything to be done through me. So me being away for two weeks and the shipment was coming in from abroad and I had to come back and look at it. I didn't want anyone to look at it and I was missing dates and timelines.

“So it might be something I will revisit and it's really, really difficult. You have to put your heart and soul into it really unless you've got people that you really trust. But, absolutely, if you've got some sort of following now on any platform, this is something you can look into and get some numbers and some sales.”

Asked if he would actively encourage football players to step out of their comfort zone and explore alternative ventures, Halls - who has been able to thrive in an entirely different industry - said: “As footballers, I think we've always done that thing of, ‘Well, we had football until I was 35, I retired and I played a bit of golf’. That was it as we were growing up.

“But 35 is young. I'm 44 now and I'm like, ‘Wow, 35 was young’. I retired at 30 so now we're talking about you've got another 60-odd years before you even get to 90. It's a long, long time retired.

“You see all the boys now getting into a lot of the media, which is great, but we didn't have any schooling really. We were one of the first ones to do it at the Arsenal and we've been lucky to be doing it now. But, I didn't send my first email until I was about 28. It's mental. We were just taught that agents sort everything for you. You go play football. That was it.

“So, fair play to these lads now that are trying to learn things and build their own businesses and brands because you are a long, long time retired. And, like me at the moment, I really want something for myself because as a 44-year-old man waiting for the phone to ring or the email to be sent, to not know you're working or getting a job is kind of scary. You want to be in control of your own life and destiny. It's something I really want to try and balance and see how we can do it. It's a bit tricky at the moment.”

Halls has been able to forge a presence on social media himself, building a following of close to 28,000 on Instagram, and has spent longer in the modelling world than he did senior football. He is a perfect example of what can be achieved once days of kicking a piece of leather around a patch of grass come to a close.

On what happens next for a man who has ridden quite the roller coaster professionally, Halls signed off by saying: “At the moment, I'm really enjoying the ride. I love travelling abroad. I've built up now, similar to football, where we've got like a squad of models that I've known now for many, many years. So, you can be in any country and you've got mates there, which is nice. You've got that community amongst you.

“So, at the moment, it's just enjoying the ride, looking forward to new trips abroad, new clients, trying your hardest. You're trying to compete with each other, which is kind of nice. It's hard to change your face, right? But in terms of football, you would train a little bit harder on that. So, I just try and keep in the gym, stay healthy, keep trying to look good. It's a nice bit of a competitive thing for me.

“And fragrance is the one. Everyone wants a fragrance, so you can always hope or try and work towards that. And then, travelling abroad, I absolutely love seeing new cultures, seeing mates abroad and that. Ideally, I'd like something for myself, a brand or something, that I could do. But for now, just enjoying the ride and seeing what comes next.”

Halls may not be Beckham, but he is a pioneer of sorts. He is living proof that football is not the be all and end all for those that have committed the best part of their lives to chasing that dream. Plenty are now buying into that way of thinking, with the promise of more to come, as professional sports stars embrace the benefits of being individual in a team environment.