Most marketable female athletes
Date of Birth: 19 February 1986
Birthplace: Dois Riachos, Alagoas, Brazil
Marta Vieira da Silva, commonly known by her first name, is one of the most talented female football players and tops the all-time Women’s World Cup goal scorer list alongside German legend Birgit Prinz. At the 2007 Women’s World Cup, Marta won both the Golden Ball and the Golden Boot awards. Marta was named FIFA World Player of the Year five consecutive times between 2006 and 2010. The 28-year old currently plays for FC Rosengård in Sweden. With 97.4 per cent of people knowing Marta in Brazil, it is no surprise that “Pele with skirts” features in Puma’s “Forever Faster” campaign with Usain Bolt and Mario Balotelli and is the most marketable female athlete in her home country
Date of Birth: 15 November 1981
Birthplace: Guadalajara, Mexico
Ochoa is considered the best Mexican golfer in the history of the sport and was the top-ranked female golfer in the world for over three years, from April 2007 until her retirement in May 2010 aged 28. The Mexican golf prodigy won the 2006 Associated Press Female Athlete of the Year award. In 2007, it was widely reported that Ochoa became the first woman ever to earn more than US$ four million in a single season, surpassing Annika Sörenstam’s previous record of US$ 2,863,904. With sponsorship deals including Banamex, Lacoste, Rolex, PING, Grand Coral and E pura, prestigious and recognised brands have been part of Ochoa’s illustrious career.
Date of Birth: 17 June 1980
Birthplace: Lynwood, California, USA
Venus Williams is the most marketable female athlete in the US. She became the fi rst African-American women’s world tennis number one in February 2002 and took the women’s game to new heights with more power and athleticism. Although with 43 singles titles, 19 doubles titles and four Olympic gold medals, Venus is less successful than her younger sister, she is more popular than Serena in the US and recognised by nearly 90 per cent of all Americans. Venus wears her own brand “Eleven by Venus” at tournaments and her racquet sponsor is Wilson. She has nearly two million fans on Facebook and is approaching 1.2 million followers on Twitter.
Date of Birth: 9 October 1986
Birthplace: Rhône, France
French Olympic, World and European Champion swimming sensation Laure Manadou enjoyed a successful career winning three medals at the Athens 2004 Olympic Games including a gold medal in the women’s 400-metre freestyle, France’s first gold medal in the history of women’s swimming. The 28-year old went from the pool to motherhood in 2010 and welcomed daughter Manon. With a colossal 96.6 per cent of awareness in France, Laure is a French icon and has sponsorship deals with Re ebok and local French sponsors mondial piscine, envido and Topsec.
Date of Birth: 10 August 1977
Birthplace: Rosario, Santa Fe, Argentina
Date of Birth: 14 June 1969
Birthplace: Mannheim, Germany
Date of Birth: 8 February 1987
Birthplace: Bolzano, Italy
Date of Birth: 3 June 1982
Birthplace: Volgograd, Russia
Date of Birth: 10 November 1990
Birthplace: Badalona, Spain
Date of Birth: 19 April 1987
Birthplace: Nyagan, Russia
Date of Birth: 28 January 1986
Birthplace: Sheffield, UK
Date of Birth: 26 September 1981
Birthplace: Saginaw, Michigan, USA
Date of Birth: 15 October 1981
Birthplace: Baoding, Hebei, China
Date of Birth: 25 September 1990
Birthplace: Nagoya, Japan
Date of Birth: 17 March 1990
Birthplace: Hisar, Haryana, India