Jersey sales are one of the biggest avenues for bringing in revenue for a club. There have been reports that clubs like Real Madrid were able to get back their transfer fee for Cristiano Ronaldo in a matter of months and more often than not, a number of deals are dependent on certain players signing for the major sponsors of the club.

We look at a list shared by the Daily Star about the top eight players in terms of worldwide sales in 2016/17.

#8 Philippe Coutinho

What could be a bit of a surprise, the Brazilian star of Liverpool makes it to the list. His value and shirt sales are surely going to go higher should he continue playing in the same vein of form as he has been doing this season for the Premier League side.

#7 David de Gea

The Manchester United goalkeeper is easily one of the best in the world and it comes as no surprise that his jersey sales are one of the highest in the world. De Gea is enjoying another great season for United even though the spectre of Real Madrid looms over the shoulders.

#6 Neymar

Neymar isn’t the only player from Barcelona who is on the list but again it might be a bit of a surprise seeing him at 6th position on the list. The Brazilian is one of the hottest properties in world football and even though he isn’t having the greatest season for the La Liga side, his jersey sales certainly put him in good stead.

#5 Mesut Ozil

One of the players that divides fans, Ozil might often be called out in a game for not doing enough but he still oozes class and when he gets things right, there are very few who can be as good as him. The Arsenal star comes fifth on the list and we are pretty sure not many expected him to be in the top five.

#4 Zlatan Ibrahimovic

Ibra might be ageing but he is still doing the job on the field. The Swede is an enigma and his talent coupled with his larger than life personality make him one of the fan favourites and Manchester United certainly seem to be enjoying the fact that he is playing at Old Trafford.

#3 Paul Pogba

The most expensive player in the world would obviously be selling a large number of shirts. Paul Pogba might still be taking a bit of time to get used to playing for United but his jersey sales shows that he has the support.

#2 Cristiano Ronaldo

The former Manchester United star had a great season for Real Madrid and Portugal last season and it is no surprise seeing him this high up the list. Ronaldo seems to have everything going for him at the moment and could be lifting the La Liga title this season.

#1 Lionel Messi

Many claim he is the best player to have ever played the game, while that is still up for debate, there is no doubt that the Argentine is one of the best at the moment. You wouldn’t need jersey sales to help him claim the title of the best but it certainly helps.

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