Manchester United dominate UK shirt sales at retailer Sports Direct this summer, with mega stars Cristiano Ronaldo, Lionel Messi and Neymar unable to come close to their top stars.
Newcastle United and Scotland star Matt Ritchie might not have broken any world transfer record, but the firm, which sponsors Newcastle’s St. James’ Park ground, claim that he is the 13th-most popular shirt name in the UK.
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Man Utd stars Paul Pogba and Romelu Lukaku lead the way, with club-mate Marcus Rashford just sneaking into the top five. Eden Hazard of Chelsea is ranked third while Arsenal’s record signing Alexandre Lacazette comes in fourth.
The highest player who is not currently playing in the Premier League is Lionel Messi in eighth, while Ronaldo and Neymar come in 15th and 18th position respectively.
Alexis Sanchez’s contract dispute seems to have affected his popularity at Arsenal as he is ranked only 22nd by the retailer, behind Aston Villa’s John Terry, the leading Championship player, in 21st.
Alexis’ team-mate Mesut Ozil, who is also a year away from being a free agent, is ranked 20th.
WHICH PLAYER SELLS THE MOST SHIRTS IN THE UK?
| Rank* | Player Name | Club |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Paul Pogba | Manchester United |
| 2 | Romelu Lukaku | Manchester United |
| 3 | Eden Hazard | Chelsea |
| 4 | Alexandre Lacazette | Arsenal |
| 5 | Marcus Rashford | Manchester United |
| 6 | Harry Kane | Tottenham |
| 7 | Sadio Mane | Liverpool |
| 8 | Lionel Messi | Barcelona |
| 9 | Philippe Coutinho | Liverpool |
| 10 | Zlatan Ibrahimovic | Manchester United |
| 11 | Dele Alli | Tottenham |
| 12 | Roberto Firmino | Liverpool |
| 13 | Matt Ritchie | Newcastle |
| 14 | Ander Herrera | Manchester United |
| 15 | Cristiano Ronaldo | Real Madrid |
| 16 | Henrikh Mkhitaryan | Manchester United |
| 17 | Dwight Gayle | Newcastle |
| 18 | Neymar | PSG |
| 19 | N'Golo Kante | Chelsea |
| 20 | Mesut Ozil | Arsenal |