Portugal’s Cristiano Ronaldo had been named the “world’s most marketable footballer”, according to sports marketing experts, Repucom.
Repucom called him the most well-known and “trend-setting” in football today.
Argentina and Barcelona's Lionel Messi is second, with a surprise entry from fellow Barcelona star, Spain's Gerard Piqué, named third.
Ronaldo won his second FIFA Ballon d'Or global player of the year, and Champions League winners medal in 2014.
Globally, 83.9% of people know of the Portuguese star and in markets such as Italy, Spain, Germany, Turkey and Argentina, this figure is above 95%.
There is just two weeks before the 2014 FIFA World Cup in Brazil, the world’s most-watched sporting event. Marketing managers of big brand names are always keen to capture as much of the event as possible in the hope of increasing sales.
"Ronaldo is an endorser's dream. His value is as important to the teams he plays for as they are for the companies that endorse him", said Repucom.
He said global awareness of Ronaldo was what drove his commercial power and with more than 82 million Facebook likes and 26 million Twitter followers, "he is also one of the most liked in the business".
Ronaldo will lead Portugal’s team at the World Cup.
But it is Lionel Messi, four-time Ballon d’Or winner, who is the world’s best-paid player.
