Shubman Gill ranks above Ronaldo and Messi in global marketability list

Shubman Gill has been ranked 13th in SportsPro's 2026 list of the 50 Most Marketable Athletes, one place above Portugal forward Cristiano Ronaldo. Kylian Mbappe is 19th and Lionel Messi 27th. Tennis player Aryna Sabalenka tops the list, with freestyle skier Eileen Gu second and basketball player Giannis Antetokounmpo third. Erling Haaland is placed fourth, ahead of Gill. Gill is the highest-ranked Indian cricketer in the top 50, which includes five players from India. Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma and MS Dhoni fall outside the top 50, at 85th, 90th and 83rd respectively. The rankings are based on Brand Equity, which carries 45 per cent of the score, Momentum at 40 per cent and Commercial Trajectory at 15 per cent. The 2026 assessment looked at 1,202 athletes across 70 sports before narrowing the field, also weighing audience reach, search interest, media sentiment and commercial partnerships.