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‘Synthetic twin’: Why Socceroo Cristian Volpato is the latest footballer to license his AI clone

The Socceroos star stares at the camera as he strides through an enormous atrium, the sound of his football boots on polished concrete echoing around him. Suddenly, he spawns four digital clones that peel off out of view to re-emerge in different settings around the world. This scene from a social media video is fake and generated by artificial intelligence. But it has been authorised by the very real 22-year-old footballer, Cristian Volpato, the latest professional athlete to licence and monetise his AI likenes…

By the Truvace desk2 min read1 sourceJournalismTRV-2026-2245· cite & verify
‘Synthetic twin’: Why Socceroo Cristian Volpato is the latest footballer to license his AI clone

In brief

Australian footballer Cristian Volpato signed a deal in mid-September with the California-based company Callandor, which gained exclusive rights to his digital likeness, voice, biometric profiles and performance data. The company aims to earn money from brand deals and to restrict unapproved content. Neymar licensed his AI likeness earlier this year.

The deals arrive while bookmakers, broadcasters and brands use athletes' images in AI content without permission, and while existing law offers only patchy protection. Whether brands will pay as much for a clone as for the real athlete is unclear, and the article says the consequences may be hard to predict.

Main points

  1. Callandor, founded in February, is still in a pilot phase and represents athletes including Jorginho and Chris Poole.
  2. The AFL told Sportsbet to stop using AI images of players without consent after a complaint from the players' union.
  3. Player contracts with major Australian sporting leagues make no mention of AI.
  4. Copyright generally requires human authorship, and passing-off protection requires proof of economic loss.
  5. Top footballers backed by Fifpro launched a UK campaign about deepfakes, and an offshore casino used a deepfake of Bruno Fernandes in an advertisement.

The problem

Unauthorised AI images of athletes are spreading, and the existing legal protections do not stop deepfakes of players.

The rundown

Callandor's co-founder Michael Fisk says the company makes synthetic twins that brands could use all year. He also describes possible AI book voiceovers in foreign languages and apps offering fans a personal relationship with a clone, including one giving real-time football coaching.

Hyperknown, a Sydney start-up, is pursuing similar deals. Its leader William Saunders argues athletes are realising that if they do not monetise their AI image, others will, and that proof of permission may become a commercial requirement.

Intellectual property expert Jonathan Harlen describes a tangle of interests and rights. Copyright does not cover AI reproductions, and passing-off laws only help public figures who can prove economic loss. Fisk also warns that cracking down on fan art could be counterproductive.

Sources

  1. JournalismThe Guardian2026-10-24

The debate