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Lionel Messi has beaten his rival Cristiano Ronaldo to be named the most commercial athlete of 2020
The study was conducted by SportsPro and relies on data from social media to generate an athlete influence score based on four factors: relevance, reach, feedback, and resonance.
It found that six-time Ballon d’Or winner Messi edged out Juventus star Ronaldo to take this year’s crown, with American basketball player LeBron James in the top three.
Three other footballers made it to the top ten, with PSG’s Neymar, Liverpool’s Mohamed Salah and Juventus’ Paulo Dybala also included.
Also on the list were cricketers Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma, tennis player Bianca Andreescu and MMA star Khabib Nurmagomedov.
(Image: ANDREU DALMAU / EPA-EFE / REX / Shutterstock)
Messi has 167 million followers on Instagram, although not as many as Ronaldo, who has a staggering 238 million.
Both players receive dazzling sums of money to post sponsored content to their accounts, while both have lucrative marketing partnerships with various companies.
Speaking on the results, SportsPro editorial director Michael Long said: “With marketing budgets tight in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic, sports sponsorship spending is being scrutinized more than ever.
“Now, with the richest data sets and the deepest insights provided by this year’s 50 million rankings, marketers working across sports can easily identify where the real value lies to justify their marketing decisions. spend and maximize return on investment. “
(Image: via REUTERS)
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There was no place on the list for last year’s winner Naomi Osaka, while British stars Raheem Sterling and Dina Asher-Smith also missed out after reaching the top 10 last time.
The World’s 50 Most Marketable Athletes Powered by Nielsen, Top Ten:
- Lionel messi
- Cristiano Ronaldo
- Lebron James
- Virat Kohli
- Bianca Andreescu
- Neymar Jr
- Khabib Nurmagomedov
- Rohit sharma
- Mohamed salah
- Paulo dybala
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