By Toby Prince
Shirt ordering company, kitbag.com, took a look at this year’s 10 most popular player names chosen by their customers for shirt orders.
Surprisingly, no player from the German Bundesliga, Italian Serie A or the French Ligue 1 made the list, showing the enduring popularity of English Premier League and La Liga stars.
Below are the most followed football personalities according to shirt sells.
10) Phillippe Coutinho (Liverpool/Brazil)
Sales of Phillippe Coutinho shirts have skyrocketed by 440% over the past 12 months, as the expectation of Liverpool fans falls at his feet following the departures of standouts Steven Gerrard, Raheem Sterling and Mario Balotelli.
9) Alexis Sánchez (Arsenal/Chile)
Arsenal’s second most expensive signing ever; fans of the Gunners appear to be banking on Alexis, with the Chilean another on the list on the rise. Failing to deliver the elusive Premier league title that the Londoners so crave, Alexis would help the Emirates Stadium outfit capture the FA Cup and Community Shield in 2015, retaining his berth in our personalisation top 10 in the process.
8) Sergio Aguero (Manchester City/Argentina)
Though his club may have failed to secure silverware over the past year, Manchester City’s Player of the Season Sergio Aguero remains a hugely-popular figure at the Etihad; bolstered by scoring his 100th goal for the club.
7) Neymar (Barcelona/Brazil)
Slipping ever so slightly in the wake of Brazil’s dismal exit to their own World Cup, Neymar’s goals that helped Barcelona to another Spanish championship have helped keep his stock high with personalisation enthusiasts. Second in last year’s rankings, Neymar is one of only three non-Premier League players in our top 10.
6) Wayne Rooney (Manchester United/England)
In spite of an influx of new and exciting signings for his club side, striker Wayne Rooney remains a strong performer with Manchester United and England devotees. The striker, who received much coverage for his high-profile pursuit and toppling of Bobby Charlton’s international goalscoring record, is the strongest-performing Brit in the list.
5) Eden Hazard (Chelsea/Belgium)
Part of a dynamic Belgian squad that soared to 2nd in the FIFA World Rankings and a Chelsea team who reclaimed the Premiership title, Hazard would climb this table also in 2015, landing inside the top five after a 12th-place finish a year ago. With his best years still to come, the popularity of this winger with the world at his feet looks set to only grow as his career continues to blossom.
4) Bastian Schweinsteiger (Manchester United/Germany)
Up 27 places and a staggering 795% from the World Cup year 2014, German international Bastian Schweinsteiger is proving a highly-popular option with Manchester United fans, tearing past teammate Wayne Rooney in our player personalisation rankings. With a successful debut season at Old Trafford, even more Reds could be racing to get his 14 letters printed in the months to come.
3) Memphis Depay (Manchester United/Netherlands)
Third most popular in our rundown and this year’s highest new entry, Memphis Depay has seized the imagination of Manchester United aficionados, leaving many supporters walking in Memphis shirts as the new football season began. Expectation from the Old Trafford faithful is relentlessly high, but can the young Dutchman deliver? Many have already put their shirt on him.
2) Cristiano Ronaldo (Real Madrid/Portugal)
With sales increasing 108%, Ballon d’Or winner Cristiano Ronaldo has shot up from fourth position a year ago to second this time around, with the Portuguese superstar now nipping at Lionel Messi’s heels. In the aftermath of his record-breaking exploits of late, it is expected this trend will continue; with the goalscoring machine of Madrid a real threat to Messi’s customisation crown for 2016.
1) Lionel Messi (Barcelona/Argentina)
A full decade after breaking through at the Nou Camp, Barcelona’s Lionel Messi retains his spot as the most popular player in our shirt personalisation countdown. Sales of Messi-themed merchandise have not reached the dizzying heights of the previous year (when his native Argentina reached the World Cup final), but remain formidable enough to keep a host of world class competition at bay.
