Ronaldo drops 26 places in rankings as Lionel Messi delivers another bitter blow
Cristiano Ronaldo 's transfer to the Saudi Pro League has seen his marketability dramatically fall, according to a study.
The 38-year-old joined Al-Nassr following a dismal start to the 2022/23 campaign with Manchester United, as well as a disastrous World Cup in Qatar with Portugal. Ronaldo has enjoyed great individual success in Saudi, scoring the most goals in the calendar year of 2023.
However, according to SportsPro, Ronaldo's marketability has taken a significant dent. Last year, Ronaldo was regarded as the most marketable sports star on the planet but he now finds himself all the way down to 27th. Long-time rival Lionel Messi has shot to the top of the charts following his highly lucrative and marketable move to Inter Miami in the MLS.
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Ronaldo, who dropped 26 places, has a marketability score of 78.26, according to the study. Messi, meanwhile, is up in the 90s at 94.81, beating NBA legend LeBron James, and soccer icon Alex Morgan to the top spot. The last time that Messi topped SportsPro's charts was in 2020 and he is now the first-ever sports star to achieve such a high finish on two occasions.
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Whether the ranking will bother Ronaldo is unknown but the Portuguese legend believes the Saudi Pro League is better than the MLS, where Messi is playing his football.
"It's normal to criticise, what league is not criticised? Where there aren't problems and controversy? There are everywhere. Spain, Portugal," Ronaldo said at a press conference in September.
"I already knew, I keep saying: everyone thought I was crazy, crazy isn't so crazy... It's already normal to play in the Saudi Arabian league.
Lionel Messi is the most marketable sports star on the planet, according to a study (Getty)"As an Al-Nassr player, I knew this was going to happen, it's a privilege to change a country's culture and football, to have great stars, it makes me proud. I was the pioneer and I feel proud of it. What I want most is to continue to evolve always, so that I can be at the top."
Ronaldo added: "I believe that the Arab League is better than the Portuguese one. It's not just the controversy, there's not so much fuss, the quality of the names is much better. I hope it can get better, I know it will be difficult. Possibly impossible. It turns out to be a circus what has been happening lately."
In another bitter blow to Ronaldo, Messi will claim an eighth Ballon d'Or at the end of the month - moving three clear of his Portuguese Rival. Messi had the highest-rated player in Europe's top 5 leagues, the highest rated player at the 2022 World Cup, 28 goals, 23 assists, and a World Cup trophy.
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