Lionel Messi has topped a list of the world’s top 50 most marketable athletes for the second time, according to new data analysis.
The Inter Miami playmaker has had a riotous 2022-2023 after winning the World Cup in Qatar with Argentina in December.
The 36-year-old inked a lucrative move from Paris Saint-Germain to MLS over the summer and his first start in Florida has earned him even greater exposure to a global audience.
Messi is believed to be preparing to win a record-extending eighth Ballon d’Or at the end of October, which will burnish his star further.
As per Sports Pro Media, the former Barcelona icon’s on-pitch success has translated to his marketability, as he tops the list just three years after coming first in 2020.
Lionel Messi has topped a list of the world’s most marketable athletes, as per new data analysis
Last year’s winner Cristiano Ronaldo has dropped 26 places down to 27th in the rankings
The highest-ranked Briton is seven-time F1 world champion, Mercedes driver Lewis Hamilton
Messi is one of just four footballers to round out the top ten, including USWNT star Megan Rapinoe, who retired in September.
Her team-mate Alex Morgan sits third in the rankings, two places higher than her position in last year’s list, and Kylian Mbappe, who moves up one place from 10th to ninth.
Second to Messi is NBA superstar LeBron James, with seven-time NBA All-Star Giannis Antetokounmpo in fourth.
US alpine skier Mikaela Shiffrin is ranked sixth, followed by seven-time world champion Formula One driver Lewis Hamilton – the highest-ranked Briton – Simone Biles, and F1’s newly crowned world champion Max Verstappen rounding out the top 10.
Last year’s winner, Cristiano Ronaldo, was nowhere to be seen on the heels of his move to Saudi Pro League side Al-Nassr, slipping from the top spot to a suprising 27th year-on-year.
British football receives its first nod in the form of Barcelona star and Lioness Lucy Bronze in 15th – just two places ahead of her international captain Leah Williamson.
The first men’s team England star in the rankings is Harry Kane, sitting 22nd in the rankings after his high-profile move to Bayern Munich during this summer’s transfer window.
US Open champion Coco Gauff is far and away the most marketable teenager, landing just one place outside of the top ten at 19 years old.
The rankings have been determined in partnership with NorthStar Soultions Group, using their methodolgy which assess global athletes across key scoring pillars including brand strength and their addressable market.
Lucy Bronze is considered England’s most marketable footballer after success with Barcalona and the Lionesses
Coco Gauff is the most marketable teenage athlete, sitting just outside the top 10 rankings
The top 50 stars are near equally divided between male and female superstars, with the majority of the athletes on the list coming from the worlds of football, basketball, tennis, and motorsports.
Football is the most well-represented discipline – with 22 of the 50 athletes coming from the four corners of the footballing world, whereas rugby, by contrast, has zero representatives, as does Major League Baseball.
Messi’s star is likely to shine even brighter globally following the announcement of Inter Miami’s tour to China in November.
The MLS side will face two Chinese Super League teams as they travel during their off season, having failed to make the MLS Cup play-off rounds.
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