For the past year or so, David Beckham and his bulging bulge has provided us with much entertainment in his various ad campaign photos for Emporio Armani Underwear. But, as with all good things, Becks‘s contract with Armani is up … so Armani had to choose someone else to stuff their bulge into their famous underwear for their new 2010 ad campaign. Clearly Armani really likes having fútbols stuffed into their undies because they have selected Real Madrid footballer Cristiano Ronaldo as their new underwear model:

Portuguese footballer Cristiano Ronaldo, of Real Madrid, will be the next footballer to model underwear for Emporio Armani, in their spring-summer 2010 collection, replacing AC Milan and England footballer David Beckham, Italian sports daily La Gazetta dello Sport announced on Friday. Originally, Armani chose “Shevchenko, then Kaká, both alluring, both footballers, both Milan players – and both fully dressed,” said the paper. When it came to modelling its line of underwear, Armani went for Beckham, on loan to Milan since 2008 and “the most beautiful of them all,” who posed nude, apart from a pair of the Italian fashion house’s boxers. He was also joined by his wife Victoria: both “very sensual,” says the daily. On Friday, the “most beautiful” was traded in for “another delight with the ball,” Cristiano Ronaldo, Real Madrid’s 24-year-old star, the most expensive signing in history and “the most sought after man on the planet” of which his “repeated conquests and chronicles of his steamy nights” are proof, it surmises, The news, which was leaked by sources from both the football and fashion worlds, has still not been made official. According to La Gazzeta, Ronaldo will feature on advertising billboards for Armani’s younger clothes section in all of Europe’s major cities as of February next year. The advertising campaign will most likely take place in Milan, it adds, stressing that this is the first time Giorgio Armani has chosen a footballer that doesn’t play for AC. “This time it’s the turn of the international media’s favourite footballer; one that plays for Real Madrid, drinks champagne with Paris Hilton in Los Angeles and sails his boat around the Mediterranean,” concludes La Gazzeta.

Firstly, let me say that I think it’s foolish of Armani to NOT offer David Beckham a new contract to appear in another year of underwear ads. Yes, it makes sense to switch up models with each new year but Beckham helped Armani reach new heights in underwear sales. If you also consider that with Becks comes his wifey Victoria Beckham in her own underwear ads … it just makes sense. That being said, if they had to replace Becks with anyone it is very smart that they went with another high profile footballer. Cristiano Ronaldo has always struck me as David Beckham, Jr. (but with a crispier tan) so he would be the most natural heir to this campaign. I’m very curious to see what Ronaldo‘s Armani underwear ads will look like. Will his bulge measure up … in sales? I guess we will soon find out.

[Source]