Cristiano Ronaldo has been crowned as the most marketable footballer in the world, ahead of the likes of Lionel Messi and Jude Bellingham, in SportsPro’s 16th annual ranking. The study, which includes sportspeople from multiple disciplines, named Formula One driver Lewis Hamilton as the most marketable athlete, with Ronaldo finishing fifth overall, ahead of sixth-placed Neymar.

Cristiano Ronaldo crowned as most marketable footballer for 2025 as Lionel Messi & Jude Bellingham tumble down list & Formula 1 superstar Lewis Hamilton takes ultimate top spot

Cristiano Ronaldo has been crowned as the most marketable footballer in the world, ahead of the likes of Lionel Messi and Jude Bellingham, in SportsPro’s 16th annual ranking. The study, which includes sportspeople from multiple disciplines, named Formula One driver Lewis Hamilton as the most marketable athlete, with Ronaldo finishing fifth overall, ahead of sixth-placed Neymar.

• Ronaldo wins out for footballSportsPro’s list does not include a footballer in the top four, with Hamilton followed by Simone Biles, Ilona Maher and Steph Curry. But Ronaldo comes in fifth, and is the highest-positioned footballer as a result, ahead of Neymar in sixth. Every athlete is scored on a 100‑point Total Marketability Score built from three weighted scoring pillars: Brand Strength, Total Addressable Market and Economics. In total, there are 18 footballers in the top 50: Ronaldo, Neymar, Robert Lewandowski (11th), Kylian Mbappe (13th), Vinicius Jr (14th), Lionel Messi (16th), Bukayo Saka (19th), Lamine Yamal (23rd), Harry Kane (28th), Raphinha (30th), Marcus Rashford (32nd), Achraf Hakimi (34th), Alexia Putellas (36th), Mohamed Salah (43rd), Rodrygo (44th), Jamal Musiala (45th), Beth Mead (46th) and Dani Olmo (49th).  Messi falls a total of 11 places, while Ronaldo climbs four spots.