Friday 20 May 2016 12:52, UK
Arsenal midfielder Mesut Ozil has the highest brand index value in the Premier League, according to brand analytics group Brandtix.
When taking into consideration Opta's on-pitch statistics, social media reach through Twitter, Facebook and Instagram, and social sentiment, the German international's index value of 587 is higher than both Wayne Rooney (530) and Sergio Aguero (497).
Ozil's standing is helped by his social media reach, which stands at 47.4m followers (Twitter, Instagram and Facebook), compared to Rooney's 44.4m.
Brandtix reviews the performances of professional athletes and teams both on and off the pitch in order to discover their true brand values.
As well as official player and team accounts, the Brandtix platform also monitors relevant fan channels, the official pages of associated brands and any interaction between players/teams and their fans.
But Ozil's brand value in a European landscape is usurped by La Liga stars. Cristiano Ronaldo sits atop the European table with an index score of 587, above Neymar (530), Lionel Messi (497), Zlatan Ibrahimovic (468), Luis Suarez (464) and Ozil (464).
Ronaldo is followed by 211.7m fans across Facebook, Twitter and Instagram - that's over one-third more followers than his club can point to.
The total of 467.1m followers attracted by Ronaldo, Neymar and Messi, meanwhile, represents more supporters than that enjoyed by the next ten most popular European players combined.
Only five Premier League players make up the top 20 European list; Ozil, Rooney, Aguero, David de Gea and Cesc Fabregas.
When looking at U21 players, Lyon's French midfielder Corentin Tolisso has the highest index score at 406, followed by Atletico Madrid's Saul Niguez and Tottenham's Dele Alli.
Leicester's Jamie Vardy has seen the biggest increase in index score in the Premier League over the season, moving up 59 per cent to 426, while Aston Villa's Aly Cissokho has seen the biggest drop, down 69 per cent to a score of 91.
