The athletes with the greatest commercial pull in both the men’s and women’s competitions have been identified by new data.

Football is a business now more than ever, and that includes individual players as well. Big contracts are up for grabs, and companies will stop at nothing to get their name in front of you if you reach a certain level of professionalism. However, in both the men’s and women’s divisions, who are the most marketable athletes?

“Applying an advanced science that goes beyond vanity metrics to measure which sports stars offer the most value to brands today,” is how SportsPro, a sports business media organization, has calculated the numbers. The 50 most marketable athletes of 2023 have been determined by a combination of qualitative research, social media monitoring, economic assessments, and in-depth data analysis. Each athlete has been assigned a marketability score out of 100, and 22 of them are football players.

There are a lot of surprises among the names that GOAL ranks below, arranged from least to most marketable.

22 Sam Kerr – 71.5/100

A Nike athlete, Kerr is a hugely popular figure and plies her trade for WSL champions Chelsea. The Australian superstar is one of the faces of EA FC 24 and previously FIFA, and ranks 47th in the overall list.

21 Mapi Leon – 71.6/100

Barcelona defender Leon has become a cult figure in the women’s game, and it helps that she’s one of the best in the business. An adidas athlete, she’s one of the coolest players around and sits 46th in the overall rankings.

20 Marcus Rashford – 73.82/100

Rashford has become a role model both on and off the pitch, thanks to his goalscoring exploits for Manchester United and personal crusade for free school meals for underprivileged children in the UK. The forward wears Nike and has worked with the likes of Burberry in the past. He sits 40th in the overall list.

19Mohamed Salah – 73.88/100

The most prominent Arab player on the planet, Salah has been the face numerous campaigns in his home country, Egypt, where he is a veritable superstar. His popularity in European football is a big help, too. He’s 39th in the main rankings.

18 Son Heung-min – 75.45/100

Another superstar in his home country and indeed the continent of Asia, Tottenham favourite Son is the face of numerous brands including Samsung, Pepsi and Calvin Klein. His boyish good looks help, but he is a star on the pitch too, ranking at 36 in the overall list.

17 Thiago Silva – 75.55/100

The Brazilian doesn’t seem to relish the spotlight, but his popularity in his home country and reverence throughout the game makes him highly marketable as he comes in in 34th in the overall list. A PUMA athlete, he is also partnered with sports technology company CTN.

16 Erling Haaland – 75.94/100

It may be something of a surprise to see Haaland way down in 33rd in the main list, but it’s worth remembering that his career is still in its infancy. The prolific 23-year-old Manchester City striker is a Nike athlete and one of the main faces of the new EA FC game.

15 Luis Suarez – 75.95/100

Another quite surprising name in the top 50, veteran Suarez pips several others who are at the peak of their powers to take 32nd spot in the main rankings. The 36-year-old PUMA athlete is currently plying his trade at Gremio in Brazil as he approaches the end of a storied career.

14 Neymar – 76.23/100

An icon of Brazilian football, Neymar is signed to a host of commercial partnerships. He’s the face of PUMA’s football operation, while he also represents Qatar Airways and Red Bull. That’s only enough for 31st place in the overall list, though.

13 Cristiano Ronaldo – 78.26/100

You would have expected to see footballing superstar Ronaldo far higher on this list, especially given his brimming portfolio of commercial deals with the likes of Nike, Herbalife and Binance. However, according to SportsPro’s data, he only ranks 27th in the top 50.

12 Bukayo Saka – 78.56/100

The joint-youngest player on this list, Saka’s star is rising quickly. The New Balance athlete has already been given a signature boot, and also has deals with Amazon Prime, Beats by Dre and Call of Duty. He comes in at 26 in the overall rankings and will surely only rise in the years to come.

11 Alexia Putellas – 78.94/100

Putellas is one of the biggest names in the women’s game, and it’s little surprise to see the two-time Ballon d’Or winner take her place in the top 50. Number 24 in the rankings, the Barcelona star has worked with car manufacturer Cupra and is among those to front EA FC 24.

6 Robert Lewandowski – 82.96/100

Despite being in the twilight of his career, SportsPro reckon Lewandowski still has plenty of commercial pulling power. The Barcelona star is ranked at 16 in the top 50 despite having relatively few lucrative partnerships.

5 Lucy Bronze – 83.34/100

Another Lioness makes the top five for footballers, with Bronze securing 15th place overall in the rankings. The defender is outfitted by Nike and has worked with the likes of Pepsi, EE and Visa.

4 Kylian Mbappe – 89/100

The second-highest ranked men’s player on the list, of course Mbappe was going to be up there. The Nike athlete is only likely to build on his fairly modest portfolio of commercial deals, and SportsPro note his YouTube channel and 465,000 subscribers as a contributing factor as he places ninth in their rankings.

3 Megan Rapinoe – 90.14/100

Soon-to-be former women’s football superstar Rapinoe breaks the top five in SportsPro’s most marketable list as she prepares to hang up her boots. The USWNT icon placed in the top 20 percent in all of their scoring pillars, which is unsurprising given her ability on the pitch and her popularity and the strength of her brand off it.

2 Alex Morgan – 92.32/100

Another USWNT legend and the highest-ranking women’s footballer on SportsPro’s list. Morgan claims that accolade because her brand strength is adjudged to be particularly formidable, backed by partnerships with the likes of Nike, Coca-Cola and AT&T. She ranks third on the overall top 50, behind only LeBron James and one other footballer…

1 Lionel Messi – 94.81/100

Who else? Arguably the most famous man on the entire planet, not only is Messi the highest ranking footballer, he is also deemed to be the most marketable sportsperson around in 2023.

Winning the World Cup with Argentina and the subsequent buzz were obvious contributing factors, as well as his stunning decision to swap Paris Saint-Germain for Inter Miami in MLS, where he has already caused quite a stir.

Messi is also tied to innumerable commercial partnerships, with adidas, PepsiCo, Budweiser and Mastercard just a few of the brands he works with.