Lionel Messi, the world’s most marketable athlete, has surpassed rival Cristiano Ronaldo.
According to SportsPro Media, Messi finished first on its list of the top 50 marketable athletes for 2023 for the second time in his career.
Ronaldo finished first last year, but he isn’t even in the top ten this year.
READ ALSO: Inter Miami suffer first defeat since Messi’s arrival
Lionel Messi finished first in the 2020 rankings and has done so again since joining MLS club Inter Miami. The contract of the 2022 FIFA World Cup winner with the American club includes income from retail sales.
The 36-year-old also has an agreement with Apple, which is the streaming provider for MLS games. They’ve made a four-part documentary about Messi’s epic World Cup victory in Qatar last year.
Meanwhile, Cristiano Ronaldo has dropped all the way to 27th on the list of the top 50 most marketable sportsmen. In January, the five-time UEFA Champions League winner left Europe for Saudi Pro League giants Al-Nassr. Last year, when at Premier League powerhouse Manchester United, the 38-year-old finished first.
Apart from Messi, the only other male footballer to make the top ten is Paris Saint-Germain’s Kylian Mbappe, who is ranked ninth.
Kanyidaily recalls that Inter Miami suffered first defeat since Messi’s arrival.
![Netizens Reacts As 14-Year-Old Actress Mercy Kenneth Twεrks On To Prove Her Backside Is Natural [Video]](https://media.kanyidaily.com/2023/10/17174244/Mercy-Kenneth-150x150.jpg "Netizens Reacts As 14-Year-Old Actress, Mercy Kenneth Twεrks On Camera To Prove Her Backside Is Natural [Video] 2")
