Welcome to issue #041 of Contemporary Football, your inside look at how the game really works behind the scenes.
Monday to Friday, you’ll uncover a new perspective on football business, and sometimes a deeper story that sharpens your thinking and gives you an edge in the beautiful game.
If you need support on your football journey, just write me.
Hey everyone,
When we were kids, the dream was simple: having the shirt of our hero.
The name on the back mattered more than anything else.
Today it feels a bit different. We still care about players, of course, but we also pay attention to design, colours, stories, and what a shirt represents.
That’s why it’s interesting to look at which football shirts people around the world bought the most in 2025.
The top 10 shirts sold in 2025
Here’s the global ranking, according to data cited by SportBible:
Lamine Yamal (Barcelona)
1.32 millionLionel Messi (Inter Miami)
~1.28 millionRobert Lewandowski (Barcelona)
1.11 millionKylian Mbappé (Real Madrid)
~1.02 millionVinícius Júnior (Real Madrid)
992,000Giorgian de Arrascaeta (Flamengo)
~960,000Cristiano Ronaldo (Al-Nassr)
925,000Bruno Fernandes (Manchester United)
~880,000Harry Kane (Bayern Munich)
~850,000Rodrygo (Real Madrid)
~820,000
What jumps out immediately
One thing becomes clear very quickly.
Where a player plays still shapes how far their image can travel.
Messi and Ronaldo remain global names. Their shirts still sell everywhere.
Europe is where popularity turns into scale.
The ecosystem does the heavy lifting: distribution, visibility, retail infrastructure, cultural centrality.
The player stays the same.
The multiplier changes.
Yamal is not selling only because he’s “good”
He’s selling because he’s:
– young
– new
– instantly recognisable
– easy to project into the future
Number 10.
18 years old.
Barcelona.
That combination is commercial gold.
Yamal is not just a player yet.
He’s a moment.
Merchandising loves moments.
The Real Madrid effect
Three players in the top 10.
None of them alone dominating the list.
That tells you something important:
Real Madrid is not built around one commercial star.
It’s a platform.
Players rotate.
The machine keeps printing.
The Flamengo exception
De Arrascaeta is the most interesting name on the list.
Not Europe.
Not a global superstar.
But:
– massive local market
– emotional attachment
– continental competitions
– cultural centrality
Brazil shows that local power + identity can still rival global brands.
A calm, non-romantic reading
This list confirms one thing:
Merchandising follows identity + timing + platform.
Not just talent.
Not just trophies.
Not just the name on the back.
Even the greatest players lose scale outside Europe.
Young stars inside elite clubs grow fast.
And strong platforms last longer than any individual peak.
That’s not good or bad.
It’s just how the system works now.
One simple question
If you were running a club today, would you invest more in:
– finding the next great player
or
– building a platform that multiplies whoever wears the shirt?
See you tomorrow,
Federico