Neymar is more than just a footballer - he is a gold mine. The young Brazilian has been named - for the second consecutive year - as the most marketable sportsperson on the planet by 'SportsPro' magazine and Eurosport, which sees him head the top 50 list of the most profitable athletes. Neymar is the leader of a new generation of sporting icons.
The list measures the monetary value, the age, the force in domestic markets, the charisma and their market potential in the next three years. Neymar tops the list ahead of Leo Messi, Rory McIlroy, Usain Bolt and Cristiano Ronaldo, among other sports stars.
The editor of the magazine that compiles the list, David Cushnan, said: "He (Neymar) is poised to be the star of next year’s World Cup, in Brazil, and he still has a blockbuster move to a European club potentially ahead of him". Florentino Pérez will be hoping the player's "move" will be to Real Madrid and the club president firmly believes that no matter how expensive the Santos player is, the Spanish club will recover the investment from Neymar's advertising income.
Real Madrid will be well aware that a deal for Neymar would pay for itself in no time. The 21-year-old Brazilian currently has 11 advertising contracts and the image of the Brazil national team both on and off the field. Off the pitch Neymar's success bares resemblance to that of David Beckham and the Brazilian's arrival in Europe would see him crowned king of all.