SportsPro, in collaboration with NorthStar Solutions Group, recently released its coveted 50MM list, featuring the 50 most marketable athletes on the planet. In its 14th year, SportsPro and NorthStar have judged athletes across three key parameters: Brand Strength, Total Addressable Market, and Economics, making it their most exhaustive assessment ever.
Last year, Cristiano Ronaldo came out on top in the 50MM rankings. Following his move to Saudi Pro League side Al-Nassr, the Portugal icon has fallen from grace, surprisingly slipping to the 27th place on the list. Neymar, who followed the former Real Madrid superstar to Saudi Arabia in the summer, has also lost prominence, tumbling down to 31st place.
With the underachievers out of the way, let’s check out the five male soccer stars currently leading the way in marketability. Now, without further ado, let’s begin!
#5 Harry Kane
Sporting a Marketability Score of 79.34, Bayern Munich superstar Harry Kane has claimed the fifth spot on this list. The England skipper, who is the 22nd most marketable athlete right now, has scored 31.13/35 in Brand Strength, 29.64/45 in Total Addressable Market, and 18.57/20 in Economics.
Kane, who scored 30 goals in the Premier League last season, moved to Bayern from Tottenham Hotspur for a staggering €100 million fee ($105.31 million). The 30-year-old has settled in effortlessly in Bavaria, scoring nine goals and claiming five assists in 10 matches across competitions.
#4 Alphonso Davies
A somewhat surprising addition to the list, Alphonso Davies is the fourth most marketable soccer star on the planet. The Canadian, who has an overall Marketability Score of 79.98, is 20th on the list of athletes. Davies has a 31.47/35 rating in Brand Strength, 33.75/45 in Total Addressable Market, and 14.76/20 in Economics.
The Bayern Munich left-back won the Bundesliga title with the Bavarians last season, pitching in with one goal and four assists in 26 German top-flight appearances. The 22-year-old has enjoyed a lively start to the 2023-24 campaign as well, claiming three assists in 11 matches across competitions.
#3 Robert Lewandowski
In third place, we have Barcelona goalmachine Robert Lewandowski. With a Marketability Score of 82.96, the Polish striker is the 16th most marketable athlete in the world. The former Bayern Munich ace scores high in Brand Strength, securing a rating of 30.96/35. His Total Addressable Market and Economics ratings are 38.51/45 and 13.49/20, respectively.
Signing from Bayern Munich in the summer of 2022, Lewandowski enjoyed a productive debut season at Camp Nou. He scored 23 goals in 34 La Liga games to secure the Pichichi Award (La Liga top scorer) and propel the Blaugrana to the Spanish top-flight title.
The 35-year-old has been on song this season as well, recording six goals and four assists in just 10 matches.
#2 Kylian Mbappe
Sporting a Marketability Score of 89, Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) poster boy Kylian Mbappe has emerged as the ninth most marketable athlete in the world. The French superstar has scored 29.28/35 in Brand Strength, 40.67/45 in Total Addressable Market, and a cool 19.05/20 in Economics.
Mbappe, 24, led from the front as France made it to the 2022 FIFA World Cup final. Les Bleus could not take the final step, but Mbappe was the hero of the final, scoring a sensational hat-trick. With eight goals scored in seven games, Mbappe won the Golden Boot in Qatar.
The former Monaco winger has been in excellent form this season, netting eight times in nine matches in all competitions. Mbappe could climb a few positions if he manages to fire PSG to UEFA Champions League glory at the end of the 2023-24 campaign.
#1 Lionel Messi
As per SportsPro and NorthStar Solutions Group, Inter Miami superstar Lionel Messi is currently the most marketable athlete in the world, boasting a Marketability Score of 94.81. The Argentina icon has scored 30.46/35 in Brand Strength, 44.35/45 in Total Addressable Market, and 20/20 in Economics. This is the second time that Messi has come out on top in the 50MM rankings, having won the first time in 2020.
Messi has enjoyed a blockbuster year. He won the 2022 FIFA World Cup with Argentina, the 2022-23 Ligue 1 title with Paris Saint-Germain (PSG), and signed a lucrative deal with Major League Soccer (MLS) side Inter Miami in July. His switch to America has been historic, with millions of his fans regularly tuning into MLS to catch a glimpse of him. Messi has also been in absolutely sensational form for the Herons this season, scoring 11 times and providing five assists in 13 games across competitions.
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