Brazilian footballer Neymar has been ranked as the most marketable athlete on the planet again after topping SportsPro’s annual 50 Most Marketable Athletes list.

Brazilian footballer Neymar has been ranked as the most marketable athlete on the planet again after topping SportsPro’s annual 50 Most Marketable Athletes list.

It is the first time that an athlete has retained the title in the four years SportsPro has published the list, which ranks athletes from across the world according to their marketing potential over the next three years. Criteria included age, home market, charisma, willingness to be marketed and crossover appeal.
LeBron James and Usain Bolt have previously headed the list.

Barcelona star Lionel Messi was ranked second this year, with Northern Irish golfer Rory McIlroy taking third place. The full World’s 50 Most Marketable Athletes list, is published in the June edition of SportsPro magazine.

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. 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 World’s Ten Most Marketable Athletes 2013

1) Neymar – football, Brazil

2) Lionel Messi – football, Argentina

3) Rory McIlroy – golf, Northern Ireland

4) Robert Griffin III – American football, USA

5) Usain Bolt – athletics, Jamaica

6) Novak Djokovic – tennis, Serbia

7) Lewis Hamilton – motorsport, UK

8) Cristiano Ronaldo – football, Portugal

9) Sloane Stephens – tennis, USA

10) Blake Griffin – basketball, USA

Tiger Woods just missed out on a spot in the top-10, ranking 11th.