Former Juventus FC and Manchester United midfielder Paul Pogba has been named as the most marketable athlete in the world for 2018 by SportsPro. The Frenchman talisman Paul Pogba, who inspire his country wining the 2018 edition of FIFA World Cup in Russia, heads the ninth annual SportsPro 50 Most Marketable Athletes list.
For last year edition, Nigerian born British boxer Anthony Joshua tops the list, but for this year ranking he slips to second spot, sandwiched between Pogba and his France team-mate Kylian Mbappe.
The ranking criteria are based on marketing potential over the coming three-year period, the top ten sees athletes from across the world ranked according to criteria including age, home market, charisma, social media engagement, willingness to be marketed and crossover appeal.
Rising tennis star Alexander Zverev is at four, with 2016 winner Stephen Curry in the fifth position. England’s World Cup Golden Boot winner Harry Kane jumps from 20th in 2017 to sixth in 2018. At 25, Pogba becomes the eighth athlete to top the list. He follows the likes of last year’s number one Anthony Joshua and Formula One driver Lewis Hamilton in topping the rankings.
