BLE Poll: David Beckham Still Tops Licensing List

The research analyzed the potential money players can make away from the pitch by licensing their name and image to third parties for use in merchandise such as clothing, toys, games, books and films. Sixty-one percent of respondents said Beckham had the most commercial licensing value of past World Cup legends, ahead of Brazilian pair, Pele at 28 percent and Ronaldo at 4 percent with feisty Argentine coach, Diego Maradona at 3 percent.

Among the current crop of players, five players topped the poll despite poor showings in The World Cup in South Africa. Portuguese Cristiano Ronaldo led the way at 37 percent, followed by Argentine Lionel Messi at 19 percent, Wayne Rooney at 16 percent, Brazil's Kaka at 10 percent and

"The World Cup is one of the biggest sporting events in the world and its players, their talents and their images have been showcased to a global audience like never before," says Jessica Blue, event director, Brand Licensing Europe 2010. "The way these players license their brands is a vital part of their commercial power both during and after their football career. It will be fascinating to see how this unfolds during the final stages of the tournament and whether the final itself will give birth to a new global star."

Full results:                                                                        

Who do you think has the most commercial licensing value from the following list of World Cup 2010 players? *

Cristiano Ronaldo (Portugal) 36.9 percent

Lionel Messi (Argentina) 18.7 percent

Wayne Rooney (England) 15.8 percent

Kaka (Brazil) 10.4 percent

Landon Donovan (USA) 7.0 percent

Fernando Torres (Spain) 4.9 percent

Gialugi Buffon (Italy) 1.8 percent

Didier Drogba (Cote d'Ivoire) 1.3 percent

Tim Cahill (Australia) 1.3 percent

Franck Ribery (France) 0.8 percent

Sebastian Schweinstieger (Germany) 0.5 percent

Park Ji-Sung (South Korea) 0.5 percent

Arjen Robben (Holland) 0 percent

Michael Essien (Ghana) 0 percent

Who has the most commercial licensing value from the following list of World Cup legends? *

David Beckham (England) 61.0 percent

Pele (Brazil) 28.1 percent

Ronaldo (Brazil) 4.4 percent

Diego Maradona (Argentina) 3.1 percent

Bobby Moore (England) 1.6 percent

Paolo Rossi (Italy) 1.0 percent

Johan Cruyff (Holland) 0.3 percent

Eusebio (Portugal) 0.3 percent

Michael Platini (France) 0.3 percent

Geoff Hurst (England) 0 percent

Franz Beckenbauer (Germany) 0 percent

* Brand Licensing Europe 2010 World Cup Survey, July 2010. 395 respondents.