Victor Osimhen has become the only African athlete on Sports Pro’s 2024 Top 50 Most Marketable Athletes list, coming in at 44th place, ahead of Manchester City’s Erling Haaland. Sports Pro, a U.S.-based publication, ranks athletes by brand strength, market reach, and economic value.
Osimhen achieved a score of 64.15, scoring 24.18 in brand strength, 26.94 in market reach, and 13.03 in economic value. Haaland, meanwhile, scored slightly lower at 64.02, with 22.8 in brand strength, 17.73 in market reach, and 23.49 in economic value.
American gymnast Simone Biles leads the list, while Real Madrid’s Vinicius Jr. is the highest-ranked footballer in second place, with a score of 91.52. Lionel Messi rounds out the top five with 89.67 points. Other football players on the list include PSG’s Neymar, Real Madrid’s Jude Bellingham, Manchester United’s Marcus Rashford, and Barcelona’s rising star Lamine Yamal. Notably, Cristiano Ronaldo did not make the cut.
Despite Osimhen’s market value dropping by €35 million this year, and his release clause at Napoli decreasing from £113 million to £63 million, his reputation has soared at Galatasaray. On loan at the Turkish club, he has already made a major impact, contributing six goals in his first five league games, a record last achieved by Bafetimbi Gomis in 2014.
Galatasaray is reportedly preparing a €50 million offer to make his
