World Football: 50 Most Marketable Stars in 2011 (Part 2)

In the following slideshow, I continue my countdown of figures in world football who appeal to big brands and big companies...whether it is for their infamy, influence, looks, model lifestyle, suave persona or just their talent with a football. 

In Part One, I brought you an infamous film star, a light snack guru, a hair icon and an African rapper among others.

Follow the link to catch up on where we're at in our Top 50 Most Marketable Stars in World Football.

35: Roberto Carlos (the Brazilian Ace Causing a Stir in Russia)

In his prime as a player, he won it all: six league titles, three Champions League victories and one World Cup. He was also one of the greatest footballers ever to play for the passionate footballing nation Brazil.

Now 38 and playing in Russia with Anzhi Mackhachkala, he is still earning millions of dollars per season and was recently gifted a Bugatti Veyron by the club's billionaire owner.

He has been an iconic wing-back with a ferocious shot, spectacular free-kick and great speed...no wonder then that he is still backed in a big way by sports manufacturer Mizuno and was a star of Pepsi adverts as the start of last decade.

34: Zlatan Ibrahimovic (A God of Victory, a Man of Money)

AC Milan's Swedish football striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic is famous enough to have earned the image rights associated with his first name for all sporting goods, shoes and clothes. 

Having played for most of the biggest clubs in European football and with a big personality, tall and muscular frame and long flowing locks of hair, it is unsurprising that ''Ibra'' was the eighth-best paid footballer in the world last year with earnings of $20 million, thanks to hefty contracts with his club and with Nike.

33: David Ginola (Because He's Worth It!)

When England hired former French winger David Ginola to be an ambassador for their bid to host the 2018 World Cup, some onlookers may have raised their eyebrows.

But the 44-year-old has always been a popular person in the British media, being humorous, well-spoken and flamboyantly Gallic in everything he does and says. 

His appearances in L'Oreal TV adverts and several programs, as a pundit on Match of the Day and as the face of a recent Kingston USB campaign have ensured he remains a familiar face both in France, where he lives with his model wife, and in England.

32: Jack Wilshere (England's Lion Cub)

With Frank Lampard, Gareth Barry and Steven Gerrard seemingly coming to the end of their disappointing England careers, 19-year-old Arsenal midfielder Jack Wilshere has emerged as a potential playmaker and captain to usher in a new, successful era for the Three Lions.

After excelling against European champions Barcelona, he has made a name for himself outside Europe and, with his fresh looks and continental style of play, he could become a very attractive proposition for companies who are targetting a young audience.

That is so long as he follows the example of Gary Lineker and not Paul Gascoigne, two formerly fresh-faced England stars whose careers diverged dramatically due to their fame and fortune.

31: Frank Lampard (Football + Famous Fiance and Uncle = Money)

Playing for one of the best-supported clubs in world football and anchoring the midfield of a national team currently fourth in the official FIFA World Rankings means that Frank Lampard has serious appeal for marketers.

His Uncle is Spurs manager Harry Redknapp and his fiancee TV presenter Christine Bleakley, which have enhanced his celebrity status.

Endorsement deals with Adidas and Orange and a hefty salary with Chelsea meant that last year he was the ninth-best paid footballer with $19.3 million in earnings.

30: Saki Kumagai (Japan's Penalty Hero in Women's World Cup)

Scoring the winning penalty in a FIFA World Cup final is something billions of people around the world can only achieve...on a game console. Doing it for real at the age of 20 is a phenomenal achievement and potentially a serious money-spinner for Japan and Frankfurt star Kumagai.

Coming from an island which is densely populated, technologically advanced and wealthy, there is every chance Kumagai could make millions of dollars from her successful spot-kick last week.

However, she may find it difficult to concentrate on her football after such a euphoric moment early in her career.

29: Oliver Kahn (The Mane Man for Germany)

Former Bayern Munich and Germany goalkeeper Oliver Kahn was a giant between the posts: 557 league appearances in a 20-year Bundesliga career and 86 caps for a powerful footballing national team provide the evidence.

With 23 team trophies and 81 individual awards to his name, he might have taken a rest from the football world after his retirement three years ago.

However, he has a glamorous partner, a waxwork figure in famous the London museum Madame Tussaud's and is well known in China after appearing in numerous commercials and on a program aiming to unearth talented and young Chinese goalkeepers.

28: Gareth Bale (Welsh Boy Turned Superstar)

After Tottenham Hotspur's Welsh winger Gareth Bale tore apart Champions League holders Internazionale for the second time in a month, Spanish newspaper El Mundo was fulsome in its praise of the 22-year-old: "Bale combines the height and build of an 800-metre runner like Steve Ovett with the acceleration and directness of a rugby winger like Bryan Habana'.'

Since then, Bale picked up the PFA Player of the Year award and is set to earn up to $30 million over the next five years in endorsements and image rights thanks to his rise to prominence, fresh attitude and good looks, according to PR guru Max Clifford.

27: Eric Cantona (The Funny Frenchman)

Man Utd legend, film inspiration, actor, global ambassador, notorious kung-fu master...Eric Cantona is rarely far from our TV screens.

After retiring from a dazzling career with England's most successful club side (where he won nine trophies), the former French footballer reappeared as the co-producer and protagonist in Ken Loacgh's award-winning 2009 film Looking for Eric. 

The announcement that he will become the re-formed New York Cosmos's Director of Football this year will only enhance his iconic status and fame.

26: David De Gea (Manchester United's New Number One)

Goalkeepers have never been very fashionable or famous, and generally fade into the background or become scapegoats for poor team performances.

But the new Man Utd goalie, David de Gea, could change all that.

Tall, blond, young and on the verge of embarking upon a potentially glittering career at Old Trafford and with world champions Spain, the youngster from Madrid could become a real shirt-seller in England and abroad. 

25: Carles Puyol (Mr. Barcelona)

Despite his ordinary looks, Spanish defender Carles Puyol has earned huge amounts of money through his lucrative contracts with Nike and Barcelona, where he was captain for most of the last decade.

Now a World Cup winner and multiple winner of the Champions League and La Liga, Puyol has also achieved phenomenal success on the football pitch.

When this one-club legend does eventually retire, his loyalty to Spanish and Catalan football, shaggy hair and determined attitude could net him significant further financial reward.

24: David Villa (Spain's All-Time Leading Goalscorer)

Aside from his exploits for country Spain, with whom he has won the World Cup and for whom he has scored the most goals in history, Barcelona's 29-year-old forward David Villa leads a busy life off the field.

When not in a pair of football boots, he is often busy helping charity UNICEF spread its message of benevolence and good will. He has even taken to the stage singing with Grammy nominee Ana Torroja recently.

23: Park Ji-Sung (Opening Up the Asian Market for Man Utd.)

When Liverpool signed a shirt sponsorship deal with investment bank Standard Chartered, their representative Gavin Laws suggested the Reds needed to sign the "new Park Ji-Sung," citing the South Korean star's success in connecting to the Asian football market through his club exploits, thus maximizing his club's revenue potential from a previously untapped football market.

Park has recently negotiated a 10-year contract with Nike and also represents South Korea electronics giant Samsung.

22: Iker Casillas (The Man of Many Talents)

Thirty-year-old Real Madrid star Iker Casillas just about has it all: beautiful celebrity wife, bags of money and personal fame and success.

The most-capped Champions League goalkeeper of all time plays for one of the most famous clubs in the world, dates beautiful TV presenter Sara Carbonero, and is the Goodwill Ambassador for the UN's Millennium Development Goals programme.

He also has a lucrative contract with sports clothing and equipment manufacturer Reebok.

21: Xavi (The Record-Breaking Heartbeat of Barcelona and Spain's Triumphs)

More than 100 caps for Spain, the most individual league and cup appearances for world champions Barcelona, six La Liga titles, one World Cup trophy, millions of adoring fans.

Xavi Hernandez is a truly unique player. 

His outstanding success, exemplary professionalism, unfaltering loyalty and clean-cut image should all mean Xavi is never short of a guest appearance in public or a dollar bill.