Brazilian football superstar Neymar has been ranked as the most marketable athlete on the planet for the second consecutive year by SportsPro magazine.
Brazil and Santos star Neymar is the leader of a new generation of sporting icons
Photo: Getty Images
It is now the second year in a row that Neymar has topped the list, which measures the monetary value, the age, the force in domestic markets, the charisma and their market potential in the next three years.
The Santos striker heads the list ahead of Lionel Messi, Rory McIlroy, Usain Bolt and Cristiano Ronaldo, among other sports stars.
SportsPro editor-in-chief David Cushnan said: "We ranked Neymar as the most marketable athlete in the world last year and there was really no argument for demoting him this time round.
"He is poised to be the star of next year's World Cup, in Brazil, and he still has a blockbuster move to a European club potentially ahead of him."
The 21-year-old Brazilian currently has 11 advertising contracts and the image of the Brazil national team both on and off the field.
Cushnan added: "His superstar status and obvious talent make him a magnet for brands in one of the world's rising economies.
"He's everything a brand would want in an endorser and all the signs are his career has not even peaked yet."
The criteria focuses heavily on value for money, which explains the absence of the likes of David Beckham, Roger Federer or Kobe Bryant or Serena Williams.
"That is no reflection on his (Beckham) skills as a player nor on his undoubted star appeal when it comes to marketing and product endorsement, but simply a reflection of the huge price tag he commands to be associated with a brand," said Cushnan.
There are representatives from 23 countries, with 17 coming from the USA and seven from the United Kingdom, with football being the most selected sport.
Below you can see the world's Top 50 Most Marketable Athletes in 2013.
1.
Neymar
Football
Brazil
2.
Lionel Messi
Football
Argentina
3.
Rory McIlroy
Golf
United Kingdom
4.
Robert Griffin III
American Football
USA
5.
Usain Bolt
Athletics
Jamaica
6.
Novak Djokovic
Tennis
Serbia
7.
Lewis Hamilton
Formula One
United Kingdom
8.
Cristiano Ronaldo
Football
Portugal
9.
Sloane Stephens
Tennis
USA
10.
Blake Griffin
Basketball
USA
11.
Tiger Woods
Golf
USA
12.
Sebastian Vettel
Formula One
Germany
13.
Virat Kohli
Cricket
India
14.
LeBron James
Basketball
USA
15.
Victoria Azarenka
Tennis
Belarus
16.
Maria Sharapova
Tennis
Russia
17.
Alan Oliveira
Paralympic Sprinter
Brazil
18.
Andy Murray
Tennis
United Kingdom
19.
Alexander Ovechkin
Ice Hockey
Russia
20.
Missy Franklin
Swimming
USA
21.
Vincent Kompany
Football
Belgium
22.
Carmelo Anthony
Basketball
USA
23.
Caroline Wozniacki
Tennis
Denmark
24.
Sergio Pérez
Formula One
Mexico
25.
Rafael Nadal
Tennis
Spain
26.
Lindsey Vonn
Skiing
USA
27.
Alex Morgan
Football
USA
28.
Mike Trout
Baseball
USA
29.
Jack Wilshere
Football
United Kingdom
30.
Yani Tseng
Golf
Taiwan
31.
Manny Pacquiao
Boxing
Philippines
32.
Saúl Álvarez
Boxing
Mexico
33.
Lucas Moura
Football
Brazil
34.
Bubba Watson
Golf
USA
35.
Shaun White
Snow/Skateboarding
USA
36.
Ellyse Perry
Cricket/Football
Australia
37.
James Harden
Basketball
USA
38.
Shinji Kagawa
Football
Japan
39.
Seth Jones
Ice Hockey
USA
40.
Laura Robson
Tennis
United Kingdom
41.
David Rudisha
Long-distance Runner
Kenya
42.
Mark Cavendish
Cycling
United Kingdom
43.
Stacy Lewis
Golf
USA
44.
Kim Yu-Na
Figure Skating
South Korea
45.
Danica Patrick
Nascar
USA
46.
Anderson Silva
MMA
Brazil
47.
Dale Earnhardt, Jr.
Nascar
USA
48.
Gareth Bale
Football
United Kingdom
49.
Robert Kubica
Formula One
Poland
50.
Katie Walsh
Jockey
Republic of Ireland
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