Aryna Sabalenka Named World’s Most Marketable Athlete, Ahead of Messi and Ronaldo

Belarusian tennis star Aryna Sabalenka has been named the world’s most marketable athlete for 2026 in SportsPro’s annual ranking. The four-time Grand Slam champion rose from 27th place last year to take the top spot. She finished ahead of China’s Eileen Gu and NBA star Giannis Antetokounmpo. Erling Haaland was the highest-ranked footballer in fourth place, while Carlos Alcaraz completed the top five. Cristiano Ronaldo ranked 14th and Lionel Messi was 27th. The ranking assessed 1,202 athletes across 70 sports using brand equity, current momentum and future commercial potential.

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