Ronaldo leads in commercial appeal in 2025, surpassing Messi
At the age of 40, Cristiano Ronaldo is ranked No. 1 by SportsPro in terms of commercial appeal in football in 2025, in the top 5 of all sports; Lionel Messi is ranked 16th. 6 goals/7 matches and more than 600 million followers.
At 40, Cristiano Ronaldo has won another race off the pitch. SportsPro ranked him the most marketable footballer on the planet in 2025, and among the top five athletes in all sports. Lionel Messi – his great rival for two decades – was ranked 16th. That status comes not just from goals for Al Nassr, but from a personal brand that has been built, maintained and constantly reinvented.
The evolution of the brand race: when the goal is only a part
Ronaldo continues to defy the laws of age: 6 goals in 7 games for Al Nassr is a testament to his expertise. But the decisive measure of his breakthrough in 2025 lies in his off-field stats: more than 600 million social media followers and a consistent image of a top athlete. At the inter-sport level, CR7 has risen to the top five most commercially influential people in the world, behind only global icons such as Lewis Hamilton or Stephen Curry.
Brand “Tactics”: The Three Pillars of SportsPro
SportsPro rates athletes on three pillars: brand power, global reach and financial value. On all three, Ronaldo remains the model.
- Brand power:Ronaldo turned every moment of his playing career – from the way he walked onto the pitch to the free kick he took – into his identity. His disciplined, efficient and enduring image has lasted for more than two decades.
- Global coverage:A file of more than 600 million followers creates a rare spread, helping each message reach multiple continents in just a few hours.
- Economic value:Partnering with major brands in sports, fashion and technology demonstrates the ability to translate traction into concrete business impact.
From Riyadh's pitch to international impact
His record of 6 goals in 7 matches with Al Nassr is just the tip of the iceberg. Behind it all is the intensity of training and the competitiveness of a rookie, despite his age of 40. It is this stable professional foundation that nurtures the brand ecosystem: performance on the pitch renews the story, while media coverage amplifies the influence.
Important statistics
| Category | Value |
|---|---|
| SportsPro Rankings 2025 (football) | No.1 |
| SportsPro Rankings 2025 (all sports) | Top 5 |
| Lionel Messi's position | Friday |
| Social media followers | More than 600 million |
| Recent performance with Al Nassr | 6 goals/7 matches |
| Year old | 40 |
React
“I still create good things, helping the club and the team. So why stop?”, Ronaldo said. That is the statement that summarizes his career philosophy: not living off the legacy, but continuing to nurture the legacy to grow every day.
Impact and competitive landscape
The gap between Messi and the SportsPro rankings shows that the race between the two icons has expanded beyond the goalposts. It reflects the extent of their influence and their ability to maintain influence over time. For Ronaldo, reaching commercial heights at 40 is no miracle: it is the result of quality play, discipline and the vision of a “businessman with a footballer’s soul”.
SportsPro's title is therefore like a confirmation: Ronaldo – the man who once redefined the standards of modern football – continues to redefine the concept of “timeless” in sports.
