DIETZENBACH, Germany — June 8, 2021 — One of Germany’s top-scoring midfielders of all time will be back on the pitch for Skechers when a campaign starring popular footballer Michael Ballack launches in Germany and throughout Europe this year. The three-time German Footballer of the Year with four national championship wins has joined Team Skechers and will appear in multi-platform marketing initiatives in support of the brand’s performance and lifestyle collections.
“I became familiar with Skechers seeing their ads in stadiums over the years, and I’ve enjoyed wearing their shoes from the first time I tried on a pair,” said Michael Ballack. “It is important to me that my footwear not only looks good, but is also comfortable and can be worn in many different ways. I feel great in Skechers and was overwhelmed by the versatility of the collections. This is a global brand I can wear everyday no matter what my plans are.”
“The energy and enthusiasm for Skechers in Germany these last few years has exceeded anything that I have seen in the more than two decades that we have been here. There is a real buzz for the brand, and Michael Ballack reflects what defines Skechers: style, quality and the cornerstone of comfort,” said Christoph Wilkens, managing director of Skechers Germany. “As a player, he made history in Germany and, with his personable nature and extensive fanbase, is ideal for Skechers. It’s a natural collaboration that we believe will further build awareness of our already popular men’s product offering, and for Skechers Germany, a proud moment to see a local hero in our store windows, as well as campaigns across Europe.”
“Germany is an important market for Skechers, and Europe is one of our strongest performing regions,” said David Weinberg, chief operating officer of Skechers. “Creating a campaign featuring Michael Ballack represents a smart investment in growing our men’s business in this key market, and we expect he will generate excitement and interest in our collections not only in Germany, but across all of Europe as well.”
Considered to be one of the most versatile midfielders of his generation, German footballer Michael Ballack began his career at his local team Chemnitzer FC and made his professional debut in 1995. He played for 1. FC Kaiserslautern and Bayer 04 Leverkusen before moving to FC Bayern Munich where he was involved in the German championship title. He then celebrated great success at Chelsea and returned to 1. FC Kaiserslautern before retirement. Throughout his career and always wearing shirt number 13, Ballack won four national championships and made 98 international games over 11 years. As team captain, he took part in two world championships and three European championships from 2004 and is ranked eighth on the German national team all-time goals list with 42. Ballack has received numerous accolades throughout his career including German Footballer of the Year three times (2002, 2003, 2005), and FIFA named him on their 100 Greatest Footballers of the 20th Century list in 2004 and World Cup All-Star Team in 2002 and 2006. He also won the Silver Shoe at the FIFA Confederations Cup in 2005. In addition to other projects, the former player is still active today as a football expert, including for the European Championship.
Ballack is now part of a team of Skechers athletes and sports icons, which currently includes former English footballer and broadcaster Jamie Redknapp, ace Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Clayton Kershaw, former quarterback and broadcaster Tony Romo, former defensive end and broadcaster Howie Long, Las Vegas Raiders coach Jon Gruden, boxer Sugar Ray Leonard, as well as golfers Brooke Henderson, Matt Kuchar, Colin Montgomerie and Billy Andrade.
Through the years, Skechers has utilized sports icons when advertising its men’s collection with an alumni list featuring names like Joe Montana, Pete Rose, Mariano Rivera, David Ortiz, Ozzie Smith, Joe Namath, Ronnie Lott, Karl Malone, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Rick Fox, Wayne Gretzky, and the late Tommy Lasorda.
The range of Skechers men’s footwear and apparel collections are available in Skechers retail stores as well as skechers.com, plus department stores and footwear retailers around the globe.
Posted June 8, 2021
Source: Skechers USA Deutschland GmbH
