Messi, Mbappe & the 11 footballers 'more marketable' than Ronaldo after Saudi move

James Shearman

Updated: 18 Oct 2023 16:45 CDT
3 min read

Cristiano Ronaldo, Al-Nassr, Saudi Arabia — © ProShots

Lionel Messi has been named as the world’s most marketable athlete for 2023, according to SportsPro’s annual list.

Having recently won the World Cup and made the sensational move to MLS club Inter Miami, Messi topped the list for a second time, having also been number one in 2020.

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Meanwhile, Cristiano Ronaldo, who was in top spot this time last year, has fallen all the way to 27th in the latest edition.

This comes after the Portugal international left Manchester United for Al-Nassr in the Saudi Pro League.

With Messi, there are 11 footballers ahead of Ronaldo, including former USWNT stars Alex Morgan (3rd) and Megan Rapinoe (5th).

Paris Saint-Germain's Kylian Mbappe ranks 9th, with Lucy Bronze in 11th, Robert Lewandowski in 16th and Leah Williamson in 17th.

Bayern Munich teammates Alphonso Davies and Harry Kane achieved 20th and 22nd on the list, respectively.

Arsenal stars Beth Mead (23rd) and Bukayo Saka (26th) are the final two footballers ahead of Ronaldo.

What is SportsPro’s 50MM list

An explanation of the list on SportsPro Media's official website reads: "Now in its 14th year, SportsPro’s 50MM list has once again been compiled with the support of NorthStar Solutions Group, which has developed an enhanced methodology to deliver the most comprehensive assessment of athlete marketability ever undertaken.

This year's #SP50MM top ten...

1️⃣ Lionel Messi
2️⃣ LeBron James
3️⃣ Alex Morgan
4️⃣ Giannis Antetokounmpo
5️⃣ Megan Rapinoe
6️⃣ Mikaela Shiffrin
7️⃣ Lewis Hamilton
8️⃣ Simone Biles
9️⃣ Kylian Mbappe
🔟 Max Verstappen pic.twitter.com/sxdIFH9TQz
— SportsPro (@SportsPro) October 17, 2023

"SportsPro and NorthStar Solutions Group’s expanded methodology assessed hundreds of global athletes across three key scoring pillars: Brand Strength, Total Addressable Market, and ECON – Triple Bottom Line.

"For the first time, sophisticated qualitative research was integrated with quantitative marketability measurements, while comprehensive mathematical and statistical formulas from multiple data sources were then applied to determine the final rankings according to each athlete’s Total Marketability Score."