RIYADH: Al-Nassr has secured a place among the world’s top 10 bestselling football clubs by jersey sales, having sold more than 1.2 million jerseys worldwide during the current season, in which it secured the Roshn Saudi League title, according to a study conducted by Euromericas Sport Marketing.
The study attributed the club’s rise to the influence of Cristiano Ronaldo, whose millions of followers on social media helped transform Al-Nassr’s jersey into a global marketing icon that extended beyond the Middle East, attracting thousands of fans and collectors across the Americas, Asia and Australia.
Data released by Euromericas Sport Marketing showed a clear lead for Spain’s Real Madrid, which topped the global rankings with sales exceeding 3.13 million jerseys, driven by the star power of French Kylian Mbappe and Brazilian Vinicius Junior.
Euromericas Sport Marketing is among the agencies and consulting firms specializing in sports marketing and research, ranking among the top five companies in the field and the first of its kind in Latin America.
Second place went to FC Barcelona, with sales reaching 2.94 million jerseys, while France’s Paris Saint-Germain ranked third with 2.54 million jerseys sold following the winning of the UEFA Champions League title.
Germany’s Bayern Munich placed fourth globally with 2.3 million jerseys sold, followed by the US’ Inter Miami with 2.1 million, Argentina’s Boca Juniors with 1.9 million, England’s Manchester United with 1.85 million, Brazil’s CR Flamengo with 1.6 million, and England’s Chelsea in ninth place with 1.4 million jerseys sold.
Al-Nassr ranked 10th globally and fourth among non-European clubs, becoming the only Arab and Asian club featured on the prestigious international ranking, surpassing long-established European football giants.
The list also highlighted a marketing phenomenon similar to that of Al-Nasser through the remarkable rise of Inter Miami, which climbed to fifth place globally with 2.16 million jerseys sold, driven by the presence of Argentine star Lionel Messi.
In contrast, Italy’s historic football clubs were absent from the top 10, which the report described as an indication of the widening commercial and marketing gap between the Italian league and emerging leagues led by the Saudi league, which is increasingly competing for major shares in the global sports industry.
