Santos’ Neymar has been adjudged as the most marketable athlete in the world in 2013, ahead of Barcelona’s Lionel Messi.
SportsPro have released their third edition of the annual study into how marketable athletes across all sports in the world are in comparison to each other.
Looking at criteria including value for money, age, home market, charisma, willingness to be marketed and crossover appeal, Real Madrid and Barcelona target Neymar has been listed as the globe’s most marketable athlete for a second consecutive year.
Barca’s Messi has swapped positions with golfer Rory McIlroy to take second in the list for 2013, whilst Cristiano Ronaldo is the only other representative in the top 50 from La Liga, settling in at eighth.
Football is the best represented sport with 10 players across the men and women’s game this year.
Former Real Madrid man David Beckham’s absence from the list is explained as because of the high price he costs to endorse a product affecting his marketability.
The world’s most marketable athletes 2013
1) Neymar – soccer, Brazil
2) Lionel Messi – soccer, Argentina
3) Rory McIlroy – golf, UK
4) Robert Griffin III – football, USA
5) Usain Bolt – athletics, Jamaica
6) Novak Djokovic – tennis, Serbia
7) Lewis Hamilton – motorsport, UK
8) Cristiano Ronaldo – soccer, Portugal
9) Sloane Stephens – tennis, USA
10) Blake Griffin – basketball, USA
