Neymar tops list of most marketable athletes in the world
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Brazilian football superstar Neymar has been ranked as the most marketable athlete on the planet for the second consecutive year by SportsPro magazine.
The Santos striker heads the list ahead of Lionel Messi, Rory McIlroy, Usain Bolt and Cristiano Ronaldo, among other sports stars.
SportsPro editor-in-chief David Cushnan said: "We ranked Neymar as the most marketable athlete in the world last year and there was really no argument for demoting him this time round.
"He is poised to be the star of next year's World Cup, in Brazil, and he still has a blockbuster move to a European club potentially ahead of him."
The 21-year-old Brazilian currently has 11 advertising contracts and the image of the Brazil national team both on and off the field.
Cushnan added: "His superstar status and obvious talent make him a magnet for brands in one of the world's rising economies.
"He's everything a brand would want in an endorser and all the signs are his career has not even peaked yet."
The criteria focuses heavily on value for money, which explains the absence of the likes of David Beckham, Roger Federer or Kobe Bryant or Serena Williams.
"That is no reflection on his (Beckham) skills as a player nor on his undoubted star appeal when it comes to marketing and product endorsement, but simply a reflection of the huge price tag he commands to be associated with a brand," said Cushnan.
There are representatives from 23 countries, with 17 coming from the USA and seven from the United Kingdom, with football being the most selected sport apart of pokies online.
Below you can see the world's Top 50 Most Marketable Athletes in 2013.
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| Brazil and Santos star Neymar is the leader of a new generation of sporting icons Photo: Getty Images |
It is now the second year in a row that Neymar has topped the list, which measures the monetary value, the age, the force in domestic markets, the charisma and their market potential in the next three years.
The Santos striker heads the list ahead of Lionel Messi, Rory McIlroy, Usain Bolt and Cristiano Ronaldo, among other sports stars.
SportsPro editor-in-chief David Cushnan said: "We ranked Neymar as the most marketable athlete in the world last year and there was really no argument for demoting him this time round.
"He is poised to be the star of next year's World Cup, in Brazil, and he still has a blockbuster move to a European club potentially ahead of him."
The 21-year-old Brazilian currently has 11 advertising contracts and the image of the Brazil national team both on and off the field.
Cushnan added: "His superstar status and obvious talent make him a magnet for brands in one of the world's rising economies.
"He's everything a brand would want in an endorser and all the signs are his career has not even peaked yet."
The criteria focuses heavily on value for money, which explains the absence of the likes of David Beckham, Roger Federer or Kobe Bryant or Serena Williams.
"That is no reflection on his (Beckham) skills as a player nor on his undoubted star appeal when it comes to marketing and product endorsement, but simply a reflection of the huge price tag he commands to be associated with a brand," said Cushnan.
There are representatives from 23 countries, with 17 coming from the USA and seven from the United Kingdom, with football being the most selected sport apart of pokies online.
Below you can see the world's Top 50 Most Marketable Athletes in 2013.
| 1. | Neymar | Football | Brazil |
| 2. | Lionel Messi | Football | Argentina |
| 3. | Rory McIlroy | Golf | United Kingdom |
| 4. | Robert Griffin III | American Football | USA |
| 5. | Usain Bolt | Athletics | Jamaica |
| 6. | Novak Djokovic | Tennis | Serbia |
| 7. | Lewis Hamilton | Formula One | United Kingdom |
| 8. | Cristiano Ronaldo | Football | Portugal |
| 9. | Sloane Stephens | Tennis | USA |
| 10. | Blake Griffin | Basketball | USA |
| 11. | Tiger Woods | Golf | USA |
| 12. | Sebastian Vettel | Formula One | Germany |
| 13. | Virat Kohli | Cricket | India |
| 14. | LeBron James | Basketball | USA |
| 15. | Victoria Azarenka | Tennis | Belarus |
| 16. | Maria Sharapova | Tennis | Russia |
| 17. | Alan Oliveira | Paralympic Sprinter | Brazil |
| 18. | Andy Murray | Tennis | United Kingdom |
| 19. | Alexander Ovechkin | Ice Hockey | Russia |
| 20. | Missy Franklin | Swimming | USA |
| 21. | Vincent Kompany | Football | Belgium |
| 22. | Carmelo Anthony | Basketball | USA |
| 23. | Caroline Wozniacki | Tennis | Denmark |
| 24. | Sergio Pérez | Formula One | Mexico |
| 25. | Rafael Nadal | Tennis | Spain |
| 26. | Lindsey Vonn | Skiing | USA |
| 27. | Alex Morgan | Football | USA |
| 28. | Mike Trout | Baseball | USA |
| 29. | Jack Wilshere | Football | United Kingdom |
| 30. | Yani Tseng | Golf | Taiwan |
| 31. | Manny Pacquiao | Boxing | Philippines |
| 32. | Saúl Álvarez | Boxing | Mexico |
| 33. | Lucas Moura | Football | Brazil |
| 34. | Bubba Watson | Golf | USA |
| 35. | Shaun White | Snow/Skateboarding | USA |
| 36. | Ellyse Perry | Cricket/Football | Australia |
| 37. | James Harden | Basketball | USA |
| 38. | Shinji Kagawa | Football | Japan |
| 39. | Seth Jones | Ice Hockey | USA |
| 40. | Laura Robson | Tennis | United Kingdom |
| 41. | David Rudisha | Long-distance Runner | Kenya |
| 42. | Mark Cavendish | Cycling | United Kingdom |
| 43. | Stacy Lewis | Golf | USA |
| 44. | Kim Yu-Na | Figure Skating | South Korea |
| 45. | Danica Patrick | Nascar | USA |
| 46. | Anderson Silva | MMA | Brazil |
| 47. | Dale Earnhardt, Jr. | Nascar | USA |
| 48. | Gareth Bale | Football | United Kingdom |
| 49. | Robert Kubica | Formula One | Poland |
| 50. | Katie Walsh | Jockey | Republic of Ireland |
