Tom Weber
Tom Weber
Updated: 22 Oct 2025 16:18 BST
5 min read
Neymar, Lionel Messi, Cristiano Ronaldo
© IMAGO
Al-Nassr superstar Cristiano Ronaldo has been named the most marketable footballer in the world, while Lionel Messi does not even crack the top five.
Sports business media outlet SportsPro annually publishes a list of the "most marketable" athletes in the world, and given the universal nature of football, the game's biggest players regularly feature in the top 50.
The publication states that it employs a "multi-dimensional methodology" to arrive at its ranking, which includes the use of "extensive data from a range of sources, social media monitoring, cultural trend analysis, economic valuations, and expert insights."
This year, seven-time Formula 1 champion Lewis Hamilton leads the list ahead of American trio Simone Biles, Ilona Maher and Steph Curry. Coming in fifth, and thus the first footballer on the list, is Cristiano Ronaldo.
Surprisingly, the Portuguese legend is followed by Neymar, whose stock in the game has drastically diminished in recent years. However, the Santos attacker is still immensely popular in his native Brazil - and beyond - and maintains a powerful brand.
Messi only sixth among footballers
The next footballer to make the list is 11th-placed Barcelona striker Robert Lewandowski, followed by Real Madrid duo Kylian Mbappe and Vinicius Junior in 13th and 14th, respectively. In between these three in 12th is 17-year-old Brazilian skateboarding prodigy Rayssa Leal.
Lionel Messi, arguably the greatest footballer of all time, only comes in 16th and is thus the sixth most marketable soccer player. This is surprising, although it can be explained by the fact that the Inter Miami hero mostly keeps to himself and does not seem too bothered about augmenting his brand.
Lionel Messi
© IMAGO - Lionel Messi
The highest-ranking Premier League player is Arsenal star Bukayo Saka, who sits three spots below Messi in 19th. Barcelona wonderkid Lamine Yamal is 23rd, with England captain Harry Kane in 28th.
Barcelona pair Raphinha and Marcus Rashford clock in 30th and 32nd, respectively. PSG defender Achraf Hakimi in 34th is followed by the first women's footballer on this list in Barcelona superstar Alexia Putellas, who comes in at number 36.
Mohamed Salah, Rodrygo, Jamal Musiala, Beth Mead and Dani Olmo also make the top 50 of the most marketable athletes.
The top 50 most marketable athletes in 2025 (footballers bolded)
Name Sport Age
1. Lewis Hamilton Formula 1 40
2. Simone Biles Gymnastics 28
3. Ilona Maher Rugby 29
4. Stephen Curry Basketball 37
5. Cristiano Ronaldo Football 40
6. Neymar Football 33
7. Caitlin Clark Basketball 23
8. LeBron James Basketball 40
9. Giannis Antetokounmpo Basketball 30
10. Coco Gauff Tennis 21
11. Robert Lewandowski Football 37
12. Rayssa Leal Skateboarding 17
13. Kylian Mbappe Football 26
14. Vinicius Junior Football 25
15. Novak Djokovic Tennis 38
16. Lionel Messi Football 38
17. Jordan Chiles Gymnastics 24
18. Carlos Alcaraz Tennis 22
19. Bukayo Saka Football 24
20. Angel Reese Basketball 23
21. Jannik Sinner Tennis 24
22. Virat Kohli Cricket 36
23. Lamine Yamal Football 18
24. Noah Lyles Track and field 28
25. Charles LeClerc Formula 1 28
26. Rebeca Andrade Gymnastics 26
27. Aryna Sabalenka Tennis 27
28. Harry Kane Football 32
29. Flau'jae Johnson Basketball 21
30. Raphinha Football 28
31. A'ja Wilson Basketball 29
32. Marcus Rashford Football 27
33. Katie Ledecky Swimming 28
34. Achraf Hakimi Football 26
35. Sunisa Lee Gymnastics 22
36. Alexia Putellas Football 31
37. Jessica Long Swimming 33
38. Paige Bueckers Basketball 24
39. Rohit Sharma Cricket 38
40. Iga Swiatek Tennis 24
41. Lando Norris Formula 1 25
42. Sky Brown Skateboarding 17
43. Mohamed Salah Football 33
44. Rodrygo Football 24
45. Jamal Musiala Football 22
46. Beth Mead Football 30
47. Breanna Stewart Basketball 31
48. Leon Marchand Swimming 23
49. Dani Olmo Football 27
50. Travis Kelce American Football 36
Football transfer news headlines today
Chelsea signed the WRONG striker as manager admits: I’ve never seen a No.9 play like that
Man Utd solve €90m problem as Casemiro U-turn decision announced
Chelsea add 33 players to Champions League squad ahead of Ajax clash
Fabrizio Romano confirms Man Utd ‘in talks’ over major deal
The FootballTransfers app
Check out FootballTransfers' new app for all of football's big storylines, transfer rumours and exclusive news in one convenient place directly on your mobile device.
The FootballTransfers app is available on Google Play and in the Apple App Store. Download here:
•Google Play
•App Store