Portugal’s Cristiano Ronaldo is the most marketable footballer in the world, according to rankings released today by global sports marketing research firm Repucom.

Argentina’s Lionel Messicomes in second with a surprise entry from Spain’s Gerard Piqué completing the top three.

The ranking was created using Repucom’s Celebrity DBI tool which measures the perceptions of 6500 people in 13 international markets, representing the views of more than 1.5 billion people.

Having won his second FIFA Ballon d’Or earlier in 2014, Cristiano Ronaldo has secured his place as the current best player and now as the most well-known and best ‘trend-setting’ footballer today.

Globally, 83.9% of people know of the Portuguese star and in markets such as Italy, Spain, Germany, Turkey and Argentina, this figure is above 95%. Ronaldo is also seen as the best trendsetter of all the players with 82.5% of people saying he reflects today’s trends in society.

Four-time Ballon d’Or winner, Lionel Messi ranked in second and as the world’s best paid player, with earnings of around $27.5 million per year, the Argentine’s endorsement and likeability scores continue to rank him highly.

Paul Smith, Australian founder and CEO of Repucom says Ronaldo is a dream endorser. “With just over two weeks to go before the 2014 FIFA World Cup kicks off, the world’s gaze is firmly on the competing teams and players. The World Cup is the most watched sporting event in the world and as such, big brands, official partners or otherwise, will and are using its global appeal to drive sales.

“Endorsements of celebrities and in this case footballers have an incredibly powerful way of doing just that creating an emotional connection with a brand. The star can raise awareness and create a buzz for brands and products at a time when breaking through the marketing clutter that surrounds such huge events is critical for commercial success.

“Ronaldo is an endorser’s dream. His value is as important to the teams he plays for as they are for the companies that endorse him.  Global awareness of Ronaldo is what drives his commercial power and with over 82 million Facebook likes and 26 million Twitter followers, he is also one of the most liked in the business.”

Fernando Torres is a surprise inclusion. The Spaniard’s global notoriety especially in markets like China have contributed to making him the third most recognized player globally. Other entries in the top 10 include Brazil’s Neymar JR, England’s Wayne Rooney and Sweden’s Zlatan Ibrahimovic.