10 most marketable athletes in the world
Being a world-class athlete obviously comes with its own perks. Popularity in the world of sports gets you lucrative sponsorship deals and SportsPro has compiled the list of the most marketable athletes in the world right now and we have some of the most popular names in the world of sports leading the list.
The 50 Most Marketable (50MM) Athletes list of 2020 is powered by Nielsen’s proprietary athlete marketability assessment methodology. The list analyzes key social media data in order to rank athletes based on their performance and sponsorship deals. The variables looked at are social media following, content engagement, fanbase growth overtime etc.
The list essentially helps sponsors identify athletes who will get them the maximum reach and effectiveness across all platforms.
List courtesy: SportsProMedia
#10 Paulo Dybala
Juventus attacking midfielder Paulo Dybala is at 10th on the list with an Athlete Influencer Score of 100. The Argentine is one of the most recognizable faces in world football and has been one of the players who were earmarked to be a successor to Lionel Messi.
Dybala has a lucrative deal with Adidas and has 40 million followers on Instagram. 'La Joya' doesn't post a whole lot of branded content but when he does, his fanbase does sit back and notice.
Dybala is a star and he has got the ability and also the unique opportunity of playing alongside Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo, at the international and club level respectively.
#9 Mohamad Salah
Mohamed Salah, the Egyptian king, was thrust into popularity after joining Liverpool and tearing up the Premier League for the Merseysiders. Salah has been a cut above the rest and has gone on to win the UEFA Champions League and the Premier league titles for Jurgen Klopp's side.
Salah is the most popular sportspersons to have come from Egypt and as such, he is absolutely adored in his home country. Mo Salah has 40.4 million followers on Instagram currently.
Pepsi Global has signed some of the world's best footballers as its endorsers and Salah is one of them. He has a number of sponsor deals in his kitty with brands like Vodafone, Falken Tires and Uber to name a few.
He was presented the GQ Middle East Man of the Year Award in 2019. At 28 years of age, Salah still has quite a few years in him and as one of the nicest guys in football, the appeal is very understandable.
#8 Rohit Sharma
For a very long time, the Indian cricket team wasn't so dominant. Now that has changed. The newer breed of Indian cricketers have changed the way they are perceived around the world and their domination has translated to worldwide popularity and though cricket is not as popular as basketball or football, Indian cricketers are some of the most marketable athletes in the world.
Rohit Sharma does paid partnership campaigns with the likes of Adidas and Dream XI and has 15.8 million followers on Instagram. He was also recently seen endorsing the La Liga. According to several sources, Rohit Sharma's net worth was calculated at $18.7 million in 2019.
In a cricket-crazy country like India, Rohit Sharma is a hero and the 'Hitman' is also the only cricketer to score three double hundreds in 50-over cricket. He has endorsement deals with major brands like Maggi, Nissan, Aristocrat, Lays, Oppo and Hublot among several others.