TikTok star Khaby Lame seals lucrative FIFA World Cup deal
Senegalese-born Italian Khaby Lame has been tapped by the Qatari National Bank to be its brand ambassador at the 2022 FIFA World Cup.
The global football showpiece will kick off in Qatar on November 20, 2022, with global stars and national teams primed to feature.
Lame, who boasts a record-breaking 150 million plus followers on Tik Tok and 80 million on Instagram, was picked for his values and popularity and can-do spirit that the bank felt was similar to their own principles.
“Lame was selected as a perfect representative of QNB Group’s values and Qatar’s can-do spirit. His ambitions have been achieved through a combination of hard work, determination, and imagination, much like the country of Qatar,” the bank’s spokesperson told the media.
He will feature in a themed television advert for the bank, exploring the theme of ‘dreaming big’, and will be screened for the first time at an official ceremony.
“By following his dreams, Lame, much like Qatar, has achieved his goals. We are celebrating together a world where everything is possible. As Qatar prepares to welcome millions of football fans this winter, we can certainly be proud of what we have achieved, both as a bank and as a country.”
This deal will reportedly burst Lame’s bank account considering he earns roughly Sh90 million per Tik Tok post after living his early life in poverty.
According to a prior Nairobi News report, this cash is earned through brand partnership deals as he earns an average of Sh48.2 million per clip for collaborations.
Lame’s parents and his three siblings immigrated to Italy in 2001 when he was one year old. His family went in search of better opportunities and lived in public housing in Chivasso, Italy.
At age 20, he got a job as a factory worker but was laid off in March 2020 at the height of the Covid-19 pandemic. As the world shut down during lockdowns to contain the virus, Khabe began making Tik Tok videos of himself dancing, watching video games, and eventually, mocking content creators who came up with complicated life hacks by showing an easier way things could be done. All this was done to pass time as he grappled with his unemployment.
As of September 2022, he was estimated to be worth Sh 1.5 billion and plans to buy his mother a huge house.
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