Murray's minted

It's open season at the moment as commentators across Britain have been speculating on how much Andy Murray will be worth following this year's Wimbledon, especially if he wins the men's singles title. With his career prize winnings amounting to somewhere around £4 million, predictions of Murray's endorsement value have ranged from career earnings of £80 million (a prediction admittedly made by Murray's agent) through to £10 million from such deals. Moreover, there are suggestions that if an unsuccessful British (former) player like Tim Henman can earn a career total of £20 million from endorsements, then things should be plain sailing for a winner like Murray. As if to accentuate this even further, Murray has just signed deals with CAA and 19 Entertainment (in the latter case joining David Beckham on the company's roster of clients). Is all of this realistic thinking on the part of commentators and Murray's advisers? Does Murray really have what it would take to make him a major endorsement property in tennis, let alone sport generally? Is he the finished product? Does he have the looks, persona and performance to enable him to compete for the top money with Federer, Nadal et al? Are the raw materials there? What role will intermediaries play? To what extent can 19 Entertainment do for Murray what they have done for Beckham? Could whatever issues there might be in building the Murray brand be addressed if he married someone famous, was photographed in popular night-spots, and picked up some famous friends? For a man who is known for being somewhat humourless, how should Murray's advisers work-up the brand? Is edgy the way to go? Is there something there, say, for brooding teenagers? Or are there other target markets which, with some appropriate image management, Murray could appeal to? And a leading final question: Andy Murray or Cristiano Ronaldo? Which one is worth £80 million, and which one is more likely to be an endorsement success?