Messi, Ronaldo, Neymar top world’s most popular football shirts

World Soccer Shop has completed a study of the most popular football shirts around the globe and, not surprisingly, the same old rivalry tops the list.

Like he did in the Ballon d’Or ceremony earlier this month, Barcelona’s Lionel Messi beat rival Cristiano Ronaldo (second) and club team-mate Neymar (third) to be named the most popular football shirt on the planet.

The trio are the only Spanish-based players in the top 10, however, with a host of Barclays Premier League stars joining LA Galaxy’s Steven Gerrard and Zlatan Ibrahimovic of Paris Saint Germain in the list.

Young Tottenham striker, Harry Kane, makes a shock appearance on the list ahead of established Premier League stars such as Wayne Rooney, Sergio Aguero and Yaya Toure.

But it’s Messi, whose popularity extends well beyond this survey, who tops the pile thanks to his exploits with Argentina and the treble-winning Barcelona over the past year.

Top 10 Bestselling Football Shirts in 2015

  1. Lionel Messi (Barcelona)
  2. Cristiano Ronaldo (Real Madrid)
  3. Neymar (Barcelona)
  4. Eden Hazard (Chelsea)
  5. Alexis Sanchez (Arsenal)
  6. Zlatan Ibrahimovic (Paris Saint-Germain)
  7. Steven Gerrard (Los Angeles Galaxy)
  8. Harry Kane (Tottenham Hotspur)
  9. Wayne Rooney (Manchester United)
  10. Mesut Ozil (Arsenal)