Footballer Gerrard gets flat for Dubai project endorsement

AWAY WIN: Liverpool's Steven Gerrard scored against Atletico Madrid in the UEFA Champions League recently. (AFP)

Footballer Steven Gerrard, Liverpool captain and English international, received a flat in payment for endorsing the $100 million Azizi Crystal tower on Palm Jebel Ali, it was reported on Wednesday.

Gerrard, 28, backed the project at a launch party in London's Dorchester Hotel on Tuesday night.

Developer Azizi Investments confirmed the payment of a flat and claimed the launch a success, reporting sales of more than 150 million dirhams ($40.8m), according to a report in UAE daily The National.

Gerrard, from Merseyside in England, has spent his entire career at Liverpool, currently leading the English Premier League, scoring more than 100 goals and helping his team to two FA Cup trophies and two League Cup trophies as well as the European Cup as winners of the UEFA Champions League.

He also has 70 international caps and has scored 14 goals for his country.

The paper quoted Steve Nosrat, marketing director for Azizi Investments as saying that buyers "jumped on to" units on the eighth floor when it was announced that Gerrard will help design special features for the floor. Gerrard plays in the number '8' shirt.

Azizi Investments said said on Monday its five projects at the Palm Jebel Ali would not be scaled back due to the global financial crisis.

"We are going full force and committed to delivering all the projects that we announced... There is a credit crunch across the world but that doesn’t mean that money has disappeared," the paper quoted him as saying.

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READERS' COMMENTS

call me old fashioned
Posted by Paul, Dubai, UAE on Wednesday 10 December 2008 at 13:53 UAE time


I think Stevie G's interior design skills will be a selling point about the same time Laurence Llewellyn-Bowen gets a place in the Liverpool midfield.

SG is obviously not reading the financial papers or he'd have asked for at least a couple of floors for a couple of hours of his time.

Flat instead of money
Posted by Lee, Dubai, UAE on Thursday 4 December 2008 at 09:10 UAE time


Steven Gerrard won't really do anything but his name will be associated with the tower. Nobody really believes Gerrard will actually get involved in the design and details. This is just another gimmick to sell flats.

Let's see how long it takes for Gerrard to put this flat up for sale? I assume he would have preferred money but with the developers strapped for cash we will probably see more of these deals where endorsers receive property instead of cash.

gerrard will design special features in Azizi Towers
Posted by lf, dubai, uae on Thursday 4 December 2008 at 08:33 UAE time

Good to see that Stevie Gerrard will be using his knowledge of urban living to enhance the new tower block here in Dubai. Presumably this will include high quality marble bricks to enhance the balancing of wheel hubs after removal of tyres. Highest quality timber on all doors to ensure the load bearing qualities enable the reinforced steel plates to be inserted as well as the massive number of dead bolts required for all unexpected visitors. Presumably all gas and electric meters will be removed prior to installation to save time.

He's a footballer!!
Posted by Shane on Thursday 4 December 2008 at 08:29 UAE time

It still really annoys me that these pathetic attempts to generate sales are still going on! why is Stevie G selling apartments? what in the world does he know about developing a residential apartment building!? Those apartments are probably already in negative equity.

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