According to the financial information and media firm Bloomberg, the 40-year-old former Manchester United and Real Madrid striker, Cristiano Ronaldo, now playing his football in Saudi Arabia, has a net worth of $1.4bn. It places the Portugal captain among a rare group of athletes that includes basketball greats Michael Jordan, Magic Johnson and LeBron James as well as golfer Tiger Woods and tennis player Roger Federer. But what makes an athlete marketable?

SportsPro produce a list of the top 50 most marketable athletes every year. Their Head of Editorial, Sam Carp, tells Ade Adedoyin and John Bennett how stars such as Simone Biles and Ilona Maher use their platform to speak up on social issues can be attractive to big brands.