Rafa Nadal, sponsor magnet

He has ceded his image to Banesto for three years, for campaigns and certain products, which brings his total number of sponsors to a dozen

Rafael Nadal's father plays the main role in the selection of the triple Roland Garros champion's personal sponsors. Sebastián Nadal looks after the commercial side for his son, whose own final decision has come to carry more and more weight as the years have gone by. Carlos Costa, the player's manager courtesy of IMG, handles the negotiations with the sponsors and Toni Nadal is also there to proffer his advice at meetings.

Their philosophy has not varied since Nadal joined the tennis elite. Not everything goes. The sponsors must be prime quality brands recognised on an international level and the contracts must undertake to carefully maintain Rafa Nadal's image, which is none other than "what he is, a humble boy who is a champion on court", as the people close to him like to emphasize.

The many titles he has won on the tennis court and his pefectly normal behaviour for a 21-year-old, without any scandals or conceited showing off, have turned Rafa Nadal into a sponsor magnet. Yesterday he signed a three year contract to be Banesto's new image, which brought his personal sponsor tally to a dozen.

He has worn Nike since he was a child and Babolat is the racquet with which he has made an impact on the professional tour. These are the two firms that have been with Nadal longest, and they will continue to accompany him for many a year to come. Next season Nike is to launch an exclusive Nadal line.

Other companies have gradually been added to those two: Cola Cao (food), KIA (cars), Time Force (watches), Puig (he has his own perfume on the market), Ferroli (heating/air conditioning), Nintendo (Rafa Nadal tennis videogame) and L'Oréal (shampoo), the latest addition together with Banesto. Ana Patricia Botín, the bank's chairwoman, cited "talent, effort, endeavour to improve and above all a winning spirit" as being the tennis player's most attractive attributes.

Nadal, who also has a special agreement with RTVE (Spanish state radio and television), has won 13 million dollars in prize money alone, without taking into account earnings from the previously mentioned sponsors, exhibitions (on Saturday he will compete in Betfair Turbo Tennis in Zaragoza) and the extra incentives some tournaments pay to ensure they have a top player.

"I don't know exactly how much I have, my family take care of that. I know that money will be no problem if I have a good career" is what Nadal usually says when he is asked about money matters. "Besides," he likes to add, "I don't have any expensive whims. I just allow myself the odd little one now and then."

His main concern is his tennis, though injuries sometimes condition that