Survey reveals Rafael Nadal is the most popular athlete in Spain
Tennis player Rafael Nadal and NBA basketball player Pau Gasol were voted the most popular Spanish athletes in the country, according to the survey made by multinational consulting firm Lagardere.
The survey, conducted last December and released on Monday, included 600 respondents in Madrid, Barcelona and Sevilla, reports Efe.
Nadal topped the list with 99.9 on the study's index followed by Pau Gasol (50.15), Iker Casillas (31.41), Formula 1 driver Fernando Alonso (22.65) and Barcelona player Andres Iniesta (20.90).
As for foreign athletes, respondents reaffirmed the leadership of Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo (91.5 and 70.54 respectively) while Swiss tennis player Roger Federer (42.57) was third.