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

In Part One and Part Two of this countdown we have looked at all kinds of footballers and former footballers from around the world. There have been the good, the bad and...the handsome.

Now in the final countdown of the 50 most marketable stars of 2011 in world football, I bring you the top 20, including England/LA Galaxy's David Beckham (pictured above with an incoherent array of tattoos, blond curtains and an Alice band).

Please feel free to leave comments and general feedback, especially if you feel I have missed anyone from the three slideshows.

20: Joachim Low (Jogi Bear Puts on the Style)

Low is a successful coach of a team which hails from a European financial powerhouse which plays some of the most exciting football out there.

Joachim ''Jogi'' Low is well-respected in Germany, having just signed a contract extension until 2014, and is officially a ''Nivea for Men Care Ambassador'.' Very modern and metrosexual, just like his taste in fashion.

19: Sergio Aguero (City to Pay Big for Marketing Potential of ''Kun''?)

Sergio Aguero is not your average footballer.

Nicknamed ''Kun'' after a Japanese anime character, Aguero—who has a tattoo with his name in Tengwar on his right arm—is married to the youngest daughter of Argentina legend Diego Maradona.

With such a background and a huge move to the world's richest club Manchester City pending, the diminutive striker is a really attractive proposition with potentially huge global reach and appeal.

18: Sir Alex Ferguson (the Don of World Football)

The greatest legend at the one of the world's biggest clubs, a man who has achieved everything imaginable as a manager after a fairly ordinary playing career.

Were Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson not 69 years old he would surely be making millions through motivational speaking, selling books and endorsing all and sundry. 

As it is, he has to make do with a huge salary, a nose for controversy, a stable of successful race horses and even more glory on the touchline.

17: Rio Ferdinand (Modern Businessman and Footballer Extraordinaire)

1.3 million follow Manchester United defender Rio Ferdinand's thousands of tweets on the social network Twitter. The England defender is a respected commentator on football, rap, style and many other affairs.

Aside from his day job as one of the best defenders in the world—for which he is paid very handsomely—Ferdinand has worked as a film director, has his own record label and digital lifestyle magazine and is currently filming a documentary about youths in underprivileged areas of London.

16: Zinedine Zidane (The Man with the Most Famous Headbutt)

In 2006, French football star Zinedine Zidane reportedly earned more than $10 million a year in endorsements on top of a huge playing contract with Real Madrid.

Now retired, the man who infamously saw red and headbutted Italian defender Marco Matarazzi in the 2006 World Cup final, has recently starred in Luis Vuitton adverts alongside Diego Maradona and Pele, was Qatar 2022's global ambassador, is a Real Madrid advisor and spends a lot of his time in charitable work.

Not only does he know people in high places, but also his three sons are all in Real Madrid's youth setup, meaning we could have a Zidane dynasty on our hands.

15: Sergio Ramos (The Man Who Can Do No Wrong)

It seems that Real Madrid and Spain defender Sergio Ramos is so untouchable that he can drop a cup trophy under the team bus in front of thousands of silverware-desperate Madrid fans and come out of the affair smelling of roses.

After a year in which he started off by winning the World Cup with Spain and ended up dejected after rivals Barcelona again overshadowed his club, it seems Ramos still has the consolation of a very healthy bank balance, youthful good looks and regular column inches thanks to his success as a footballer, popularity and beautiful TV presenter girlfriend Lara Alvarez.

14: Neymar (The New Pele / Kaka / Ronaldo / Ronaldinho)

He may have hair like a banana, wear the same coloured top as a banana and only be 19 years old but Brazilian forward Neymar is definitely not slipping up in life.

In fact, the youngster may be on the verge of completing a move to Real Madrid, has just signed a long-term endorsement contract with Nike, and his fame is only set to increase if he moves to what some regard as the best league in the world.

13: Cesc Fabregas (Barcelona's New Poster Boy?)

Another player with more than a million Twitter followers, Spanish midfielder Cesc Fabregas is a man in demand.

To illustrate, the world's best football team, Barcelona, have announced they are determined to fight until the end of the transfer window to bring back the Arsenal captain, just a few years after letting him leave for the Premier League.

Honorary Patron of Show Racism the Red Card, Fabregas is also on the books of Nike and may be set to reap large financial rewards from his move back to Spain.

12: Wayne Rooney (England's Controversial Star)

He may not look or behave like much of an athlete, but England and Manchester United forward Wayne Rooney is a superstar in world football and never too far from fame or infamy.

Despite several allegations of infidelity to his wife Coleen and uncertainty over his future at Old Trafford, Rooney has rediscovered his form and is currently the third-best paid footballer in the world, thanks to a six-figure weekly salary and endorsement contracts with Asda, Coca-Cola, EA Sports, Ford, Nike and Nokia.

11: Fernando Torres (El Nino Still Creating a Whirlwind)

With a recent autobiography and appearances in a El Canto del Loco music video and comedy film Torrente 3: El Protector, you might be forgiven for forgetting that Chelsea's Spanish forward Fernando Torres, 27, is the most expensive footballer in Premier League history after a $80 million move from Liverpool to Chelsea in January.

With a high-profile owner and manager and a healthy following at the London club, Torres is always in the spotlight and, even when he is struggling for form, has enough character and persona to make millions.

10: Samuel Eto'o (Africa's Indomitable Lion)

With a record four African Player of the Year awards, a Champions League winners' medal, three La Liga titles and two Africa Nations Cup victories, Cameroon and Inter Milan forward Samuel Eto'o could surely retire now as a rich and fulfilled man.

Last year, he was the richest African footballer with earnings in excess of $15 million and a net worth three times that amount, thanks to endorsements from Ford and Puma.

9: Carlos Tevez (Wantaway Star Is Too Rich by Far)

With an annual take-home of more than $20 million, it is no surprise Carlos Tevez is one of the top 10 richest footballers in the world.

That he does not currently earn as much as other world stars in endorsements did not detract former club Corinthians from making a $60 million move for the Argentinian forward last week.

They will try again in January as they believe the TV sponsorship money they are using to fund the transfer will be returned several times over in what they would make from shirt sales and what they gain as a team and a club.

8: Jose Mourinho (The Special One)

He is cheeky, good-looking, influential, successful and wealthy. Yes, Real Madrid manager Jose Mourinho has come a long way since his days as a translator to former coach Sir Bobby Robson at Portuguese clubs Sporting Lisbon and Porto.

He now has the unenviable task of toppling world champions Barcelona from their podium but is richly rewarded and recognised for his work.

He was named as 2010's ninth-most influential living man by AskMen.com, boasts an honorary degree from Lisbon University and has several sponsorship deals with companies such as Adidas, American Express and Samsung. Mourinho is a marketer's dream.

7: Kaka (Brazilian Baby-Faced Wonder)

''Joga Bonito, Kaka."

Last year, Kaka earned $15 million from his salary with club Real Madrid and possibly the same again from numerous big endorsement deals he has with companies including Nike.

Despite his lack of success since a world record move to Real Madrid in 2009, Kaka is still adored by the Brazilian public and a very well-known face in world football, with a recent appearance on the cover of video game FIFA 11.

6: Pele (Mr. Endorsement)

In 2002, it was reported that Brazilian great Pele earned more than $20 million through product endorsements.

His work for Coca-Cola, Nike, Nokia, Petrobas, Pfizer and Samsung pays well, after all.

Add into this mix that he may always be considered as the greatest ever footballer and his will also be a name associated with glory and skill.

5: Ronaldinho (It's Not All About the Looks)

Star of the first YouTube video to reach one million hits—a football viral in which he seems to repeatedly kick a football against a distant crossbar—Flamengo and Brazil star midfielder Ronaldinho has always possessed a magic touch.

Twice World Player of the Year, he once had very lucrative sponsorship deals with Lenovo, Nike and Pepsi.

With the goofy-toothed star now back in his native Brazil and the FIFA World Cup and Olympic Games soon making their way to the country, we could be seeing a lot more of Ronaldinho over the next few years.

4: Cristiano Ronaldo (Footballer, Gentleman, Stud?)

British comedian Harry Enfield once created a much-loved football character called Julio Geordio in his comedy series Harry Enfield and Chums. Dubbed a player, gentleman and stud, this character would appear in post-match interviews speaking an exotic foreign language which occasionally veered into a strong Geordie English.

While former Manchester United winger Cristiano Ronaldo was never much loved outside of Old Trafford, like with Julio Geordio, most English fans will fondly remember that Portuguese international Ronaldo (the world's most expensive ever player) brought a lot of glamour and excitement to the Premier League as well as some unnecessary theatrics.

It was this showboating, showmanship and confidence that allowed Ronaldo such fame and fortune, and it continues to help him earn more than almost any other sportsman in Europe through sponsorship and image rights fees.

3: Diego Maradona (The Hand of God to Some, a Religion to Others)

The Houston Chronicle once wrote of former Argentina player and coach Diego Maradona: ''To understand the gargantuan shadow Maradona casts over his soccer-mad homeland, one has to conjure up the athleticism of Michael Jordan, the power of Babe Ruth – and the human fallibility of Mike Tyson''.

This is a very good way to describe a man who has provided so much controversy and drama and who has lived through so much ecstasy and turmoil in his life.

He is at once a former footballer, drug addict and player, a character in comics, a religion, an inspiration for many songs and the face of many brands.

2: Lionel Messi (a Legend in the Making)

The best footballer who ever lived? Possibly. The best footballer in the world Today? No doubt.

With an incredible 119 goals in 177 La Liga games for Barcelona and 60 caps for Argentina before the age of 25, Leo Messi is a phenomenon.

Not only does he possess skills in abundance, he is a natural winner and role model. He goes about his business quietly and with respect...and reaps fantastic financial and footballing benefits.

He earns around $50 million a year from football and endorsements, and has his own foundation and project as a goodwill ambassador for UNICEF.

1: David Beckham (the World's Local Man)

Now the most famous footballer in the world and one of the most famous and influential people in history, the boy from Leytonstone has ''done good'.'

Film appearances, league titles, national honours, motivational speeches, film cameos, a famous wife, sex scandals and a Hollywood lifestyle only begin to tell the story of a 36-year-old who has become a global superstar.

With endorsements from Adidas, Armani, Gilette and Pepsi among others, a five-year, $200 million salary and sponsorship deal with current club LA Galaxy and net earnings estimated last year at $250 million, Beckham could soon become the first footballer billionaire. Football: it's only a game!