Cristiano Ronaldo Beats Lionel Messi to Top Honour Despite Poor Form

Cristiano Ronaldo Beats Lionel Messi to Top Honour Despite Poor Form

Fred Kennedy
updated at April 12, 2023 at 8:14 PM
In this article:
Cristiano Ronaldo logo
C. Ronaldo
Al Nassr FC logoFPortugal logo
English Premier League logo
ENG Premier League
England
Lionel Messi logo
L.Messi
Inter Miami CF logoFArgentina logo
Marcus Rashford logo
M.Rashford
Manchester United logoFEngland logo
  • Cristiano Ronaldo has beaten a host of top sporting personalities to be named the world's most marketable athlete
  • The Man United star is understood to have racked up a score of 91.21 out of a possible 100 to rank ahead of Serena Williams and Lewis Hamilton
  • Ronaldo's football nemesis Lionel Messi is placed fifth on the list behind basketball legend LeBron James
  • The Portuguese star has had as much success off the pitch as he has had on it, with the veteran forward the face of several brands including Nike

Cristiano Ronaldo has beaten the world's top sporting personalities to be named the most marketable athlete on the planet.

The Manchester United icon is widely considered one of the greatest footballers of all time, thanks to his football achievements during his illustrious career of more than 20 years.

The veteran striker has thus far lifted seven league titles across the Premier League, La Liga and Serie A, as well as five Champions Leagues and Euro 2016.

Lionel Messi, Cristiano Ronaldo, Man United, PSG, Serena Williams, Lewis Hamilton.
Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi during the FIFA Ballon d'Or Gala 2015 at the Kongresshaus in Zurich, Switzerland. Photo by Alexander Hassenstein.
Source: Getty Images

At the individual level, he has won several awards, including the Ballon d'Or on five occasions.

Exciting feature: Check out news exactly for YOU ➡️ find "Recommended for you" block and enjoy!

Incredibly, the 37-year-old is thriving off the pitch much as he has on it, with the forward now declared the most marketable athlete in the world.

According to a list released by SportsPro this week of the 50 most marketable athletes, Ronaldo topped the charts ahead of some of the most recognisable names in the world of sports - including Lionel Messi.

The Mirror reports the Portuguese achieved the accolade after garnering a 'marketability score' of 91.21 out of 100.

Tennis icon Serena Williams is placed second on the list, ahead of Formula 1 superstar Lewis Hamilton, who finished third.

Basketball legend LeBron James is fourth on the list, with Messi completing the top five podium.

Below is a list of the 50 most marketable athletes in the world per SportsPro:

  1. Cristiano Ronaldo
  2. Serena Williams
  3. Lewis Hamilton
  4. LeBron James
  5. Lionel Messi
  6. Naomi Osaka
  7. Virat Kohli
  8. Alex Morgan
  9. Sam Kerr
  10. Tom Brady
  11. Simone Biles
  12. Emma Raducanu
  13. Alexia Putellas
  14. Stephen Curry
  15. Simona Halep
  16. Rafael Nadal
  17. Neymar
  18. Mohamed Salah
  19. Kylian Mbappe
  20. Rohit Sharma
  21. Katie Ledecky
  22. Chloe Kim
  23. Roger Federer
  24. Erling Haaland
  25. Charles Leclerc
  26. Candace Parker
  27. Megan Rapinoe
  28. Oksana Masters
  29. Eileen Gu
  30. Garbine Muguruza
  31. Karim Benzema
  32. Bianca Andreescu
  33. Max Verstappen
  34. Bethany Hamilton
  35. George Russell
  36. Sergio Perez
  37. Robert Lewandowski
  38. Giannis Antetokounmpo
  39. Sky Brown
  40. Becky Sauerbrunn
  41. Sydney McLaughlin
  42. Mesut Ozil
  43. Kevin De Bruyne
  44. Olivia Dunne
  45. Luka Doncic
  46. Novak Djokovic
  47. Katie Taylor
  48. Rory McIlroy
  49. Harry Kane
  50. Marcus Rashford

Cristiano Ronaldo disappointed after substitution

Sports Brief earlier reported on Ronaldo fuming after Erik ten Hag substituted him while the team was chasing a goal.

Ronaldo was visibly annoyed by the decision and could be seen verbally expressing his frustration.

However, ten Hag defended his decision, saying he had to rotate his team ahead of four games in 10 days, beginning with Tottenham Hotspur on Wednesday.

Authors
Fred Kennedy photo
Fred Kennedy
Editor - Europe Team
Tags
Lewis Hamilton