Neymar is nearly perfect. As a player, he still has acres of potential to grow. And just as he surges forward into space on the pitch, determined, fearless, there is little doubt he will continue to improve. He just needs to become more consistent, to decide better when to be selfish or selfless.

He’s even closer to perfection off the field. Neymar is the marketing man’s dream. Part player, part hype-machine, product-selling, business creation.

Even back in 2013, Neymar was being hailed as the most “marketable sports person in the world,” ahead of the likes of Usain Bolt, Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo. That was while he was still in South America, playing for Brazilian side Santos. One transfer move to Barcelona, a World Cup in which Brazil, the hosts, were destroyed and humiliated the moment he was unavailable to play, and a treble with his club later, Neymar is even closer to being the face that launched a thousand blue-chip company products.

On SportPro’s 2015 list of most marketable athletes, Neymar is second, only behind tennis sensation Eugenie Bouchard. There is no other soccer player in the top 10. He is on course to become the most recognized footballer on the planet.

SEE MORE: Brazilian court freezes $47 million in Neymar’s assets.

Currently, the two players that earn the most money from endorsements are Ronaldo and Messi. According to Forbes, they earn $27 and $22 million respectively, outside their salaries. Neymar currently earns $17 million. Although Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Gareth Bale each get more than the Brazilian when it comes to yearly earnings, their endorsement fees are only $6 million and $9.5 million apiece.

Recognized as the best two players in the world, it’s no surprise that Messi and Ronaldo are ahead of Neymar on this front, but don’t expect that to remain the same for long. The newcomer is simply far better suited to selling products than either of those two. Neymar strikes a balance between Messi and Ronaldo, the perfect middle ground.

Developing the image

Messi is too shy for his own good, with the player offering very little about himself to the world. He is hard to truly like because nobody knows how much they can have in common with him. He doesn’t party, he does his best to stay out of the spotlight, looking painfully awkward when he appears in advertisements. He doesn’t even have a Twitter account. The most we find out about Messi is via his Instagram, or sometimes his partner Antonella Roccuzzo’s. She isn’t a limelight-hogger, either; just a girl from Messi’s hometown, Rosario.

Ronaldo, on the other hand, is brash, bold, loud, and divisive. He is Marmite; some people love him, others hate him. And while that brand’s marketing is perfect for their product, in general it means there are some companies that would consider him too arrogant or opinion-splitting to shell out for. He is not universally likeable, despite a recent onslaught of good publicity and dozens of photos and appearances with his son ahead of the release of his film. The Madrid man’s Twitter bio — “This Privacy Policy addresses the collection and use of personal information” — sums up his approach to social media, with posts that largely appear to be made by other people, with an obvious marketing angle.

SEE MORE: Barcelona dismiss Neymar’s links to Manchester United, plan to offer new deal

Neymar’s offerings are mainly pictures of him hanging out with his friends, messing around, playing with his dog – just general things that a boy of 23 might be doing. Because he’s saying he’s just like you or me, only insanely good at soccer. Neymar takes the flashy side of Ronaldo — the hair-cuts, the skills, the ability to wind up opponents — and mixes it with the goody-goody and casualness of Messi, leaving him somewhere in the middle. If on the field Messi is a natural talent and Ronaldo a machine built on hours of dedication and hard-work, Neymar is in the median.

He still has the street swagger that comes naturally to him, but works hard on his game, tactically, technically, physically. Over the past year, he has put on around 11 pounds of muscle, which will help him during matches as well as nudge him from skinny into sexy. That is an important aspect when it comes to marketing. Neymar has boyish good-looks, closer to David Beckham’s handsome airs than Ronaldo’s chiseled-from-stone posturing. It’s a lot easier for male supporters to try and look like Neymar than Ronaldo, unless they want to spend their life in the gym, chugging protein shakes.

Cultural reality

Another factor which shouldn’t be important, but sadly, realistically, is, is skin color. Neymar isn’t white, but he’s white enough not to be “othered” by money men and consumers alike. He’s white enough for white audiences to see themselves in, dark enough for everyone else to do the same.

The race issue is best highlighted by the Maria Sharapova and Serena Williams issue in tennis. The latter, black, the best female tennis player of all time, is roughly four times as successful but makes half as much in endorsements. “If they want to market someone who is white and blond, that’s their choice,” Williams said, when asked about the huge gap in sponsorship deals.

A few years ago, back while he was at Santos, Neymar had his curly hair straightened and given blonde tips. Since then, he regularly has it treated and has been through a variety of different styles, many of them along similar lines. Once he even dyed his beard blonde.

That opens another can of worms, with a huge debate in Brazil started about the “whitening” of Neymar and the marketability of black public figures, but the bottom line is that looking “Western” pays. Right or wrong, who could blame Neymar for doing the best for himself?

SEE MORE: Neymar shines amid controversy.

But the Brazilian does not think of himself as white, unlike his compatriot, the iconic striker Ronaldo. When asked about problems with racism in Brazil, the former Real Madrid and Barcelona star answered: “I’m white, so I am really ignorant of these matters.” Although Neymar previously stated that he isn’t “preto” (black), he has fought against racist abuse, of himself and others. Showing his eye for business, he even managed to turn a protest against banana throwing into a viral campaign.

During a Barcelona match with Villarreal, a fan threw a banana at club and country teammate Dani Alves. The right back picked up the piece of fruit and ate it on the pitch. It was hailed as a brilliant, innovative stand against racism, and immediately after the game, Neymar published a picture of himself on Instagram with a banana and a hashtag reading “we are all monkeys.”

It later transpired this was a campaign which had been set up by Neymar, with the help of an advertising agency, and it was actually intended that he would be the one to eat a banana next time one was flung at him. The world joined in, with stars like Sergio Aguero and Luis Suarez, while still at Liverpool, also posing for pictures eating bananas.

Guga Ketzer, partner in Loducca, the advertising agency, said:

“Actions speak louder than words. A gesture needs no translation and what we’re seeing is that this has gone viral, globally. The idea was for Neymar to eat the banana, but in the end it was Alves, and that works just the same.”

Catching the big two

Even at 23, he has sealed several huge endorsements, most recently becoming a brand ambassador for Pokerstars, something said to have netted him around €4 million. But on top of previous deals with Castrol, Police, Panasonic, L’Oreal, Volkswagen and others, the key is his Nike connection.

Currently Ronaldo (Portuguese) is the biggest name on Nike’s books, but for how long? Neymar is likely to slide alongside him and Messi on the Ballon d’Or podium come January – something else which will boost his commercial profile. From there, it won’t be long until he overtakes the Madrid star. Although the narrative regarding Messi and Ronaldo’s long-running battle for supremacy doesn’t allow much breathing space, there’s already a case to be made that Neymar is at least as good as the latter, if not better.

Beyond the big two, Neymar is ahead of everybody else in world soccer, the leader of his country and likely to finish as the highest international goalscorer of all-time. Iran’s Ali Daei is top with 109 in 149 caps, Neymar is on 46 in 67. He is nearly halfway to the target with the majority of his career ahead of him. In 31 goals time, he will match Pele.

Completing his rise

There are just three more steps for Neymar to take to become the best known footballer of all time.

Firstly, he must keep improving on the pitch. As shown by Messi, even with a lack of public personality you can still rake it in, provided you speak with your boots. Ronaldo is 31, Messi 28. Within three years it’s probable, should he continue developing at the same rate, that Neymar will be the finest soccer player out there.

SEE MORE: Why isn’t Barcelona hated like other big clubs?

Secondly, he should learn English. If he added that string to his bow, he’d be able to reach even more people and become an even greater marketing dream.

And thirdly, and perhaps cynically, is the right choice about when and with whom to change his status from eligible bachelor to taken man. Beckham’s popularity and status around the world went through the roof when he married Victoria “Posh Spice” Adams. People who had no interest in soccer all of a sudden knew who he was. Although love should be a question of the heart and nothing else, knowing Neymar’s head for marketing and eye for an opportunity, nothing can be ruled out – not least him becoming part of a new, perfect “power couple.”

Neymar is the prince, but he has his eyes on the king’s throne. And when he gets it, please direct enquiries about hiring the advertising space on the back to his entourage.

When the dust settles, Sept. 30, 2015, might well be regarded as the day Cristiano Ronaldo decided to leave Real Madrid. The striker scored twice against Malmo in the Champions League, and like with most of his goals these days, one or two records fell as the ball crossed the line. Except this time, one milestone was extremely significant, representing the accomplishment of something that started back in 2009, when he arrived from Manchester United. That strike, a second of the night nudged home from a couple of yards out, was the goal that saw him break Raul Gonzalez’s record as Real Madrid’s top scorer of all-time.

Or did it? The club say he’s now scored 324 goals, one more than Raul. Spanish newspaper Marca agree, and Cristiano himself certainly does, but official records say he is now tied with the legendary Spain striker. A goal which deflected off Pepe in 2010 against Real Sociedad is the cause of the conflict, with his determination to claim it testament to the way he has been brutally plowing his way to this target.

SEE MORE: Watch Cristiano Ronaldo score his 500th career goal.

For the first time in seven months, Ronaldo spoke to Spanish journalists after the game, but instead of celebrating on what should have been a historic night, he verbally scrapped with reporters, repeatedly stating “as I have said millions of times, nobody knows” to questions about where his future lies. The Madrid star was ice cold and red hot in turns, saying he “doesn’t want to speak” about whether anyone at Real Madrid has disrespected him – the subtext pointing to club president Florentino Perez. He then attacked a reporter for asking what he deemed “unintelligent” questions.

At various points in the past, Ronaldo has seemed close to leaving the Santiago Bernabeu, including this summer, but he has been like a shark hurtling through water after scenting a single drop of blood. Few believed he would depart while so close to Raul’s record. Now that he has broken the record, at least in his own head, Ronaldo will be wondering what there is left for him at Real Madrid. The fans will hope the desire to keep scoring goals in white is enough to keep him happy.

Of course, Ronaldo loves scoring goals, and there are still records for him to obtain. He will also want to put some distance between himself and Raul, to make it less likely that someone will surpass his total in the coming years, if not longer. Right now, though, there are no threats on the horizon.

If he did leave, he might find other clubs’ service doesn’t live up to what the likes of Karim Benzema, James Rodriguez and Gareth Bale can provide for him at Madrid. Benzema in particular is a dream to play with for Ronaldo. No one has provided more assists for the three-time World Player of the Year than the Frenchman, who Cristiano has routinely hails as the “best striker in the world.” Even Bale, a player whom he is said to keep at arm’s length, viewing him as a threat to his throne at the Bernabeu because of his strong backing by Perez, has subjugated himself during his time in Madrid, only recently moving to a more central role that suggests the Welshman’s time to be the protagonist is coming.

Still, now that he has achieved this milestone, the chance to leave may seem more attractive than ever, for several reasons.

Reasons to depart

Ronaldo might want to improve his trophy haul, which comes up short when compared to previous Madrid greats. Raul, for example, has three Champions League titles and six La Ligas. Ronaldo has one on each count. Even including Ronaldo’s Manchester United honors, he falls one European trophy and two domestic titles short of the man whose record he has usurped.

Bale and James are the players it makes sense to shape Real Madrid around, particularly now that the Portuguese’s game has changed so much. Instead of dribbling past people or firing in long-range strikes, Ronaldo has become a dead-eyed predator. He finishes moves from inside the penalty area instead of orchestrating them, and there are doubts over whether a top team can carry a pure poacher, even if one as good as Ronaldo would be the exception to the rule.

SEE MORE: Watch the trailer for the new documentary on Cristiano Ronaldo.

Furthermore, when Bale signed for Real Madrid for $130 million, he became the world’s most expensive player. If Ronaldo moves, he could topple that record again, like he did when he signed for Madrid in the first place. At the very least, he will break the cumulative fees record currently held by Angel di Maria, whose moves have been worth $203 million in transfer fees. To date, Ronaldo’s moves have set his clubs back $140 million.

There is also a tremendous amount of pressure on Ronaldo in Spain that simply would not be replicated in other countries. Here he is the symbol of Real Madrid, which means he is the key force in the physical, emotional and even political battle with Barcelona.

Ronaldo’s every move becomes focused on in minute detail, with his birthday party in February, after a 4-0 defeat by Atletico Madrid, examined almost forensically. The criticism he received after the derby defeat was brutal, and it led to him declaring in March that he would not speak to the media again until the end of the season.

On Spanish football chat show El Chiringuito, for example, they analyzed his movements in a brief post-match brush with Rafa Benitez. Bringing in a body language expert, they decided he was cold to the coach, who awkwardly patted him as Ronaldo walked past to speak to a UEFA delegate.

Cristiano also has a different type of attachment to Real Madrid than, say, Messi to Barcelona. The Argentine has spent his entire professional career in the Catalan capital, and if he ever does leave, it will surely be back to his homeland and his junior side, Newell’s Old Boys. Ronaldo, on the other hand, has played for Portuguese giants Sporting Lisbon, and the biggest side in England, Manchester United. It’s not that he doesn’t have any loyalty to Madrid, it’s just more of a marriage of convenience.

In the summer, Ronaldo sold his image rights to Peter Lim’s Mint Media, which some saw as an intention to leave the club. Lim owns Valencia, so for Cristiano’s image to be generating income for a rival club is an oddity.

Possible destinations

If he went to a lesser league, as France’s Ligue 1 is considered, he could still compete numerically with Messi. Playing for PSG would be an attractive option for Ronaldo, who could continue racking up huge individual numbers. Zlatan Ibrahimovic is on the verge of becoming PSG’s all-time leading scorer, currently just two shy of Pauleta’s 109 goals. Three averages season from Ronaldo in France would claim that record, too.

It would also be a good way of adding to his career honors list, with the club well-poised to win the division this season, next season, and beyond. Moreover, leading the club to a first Champions League title in their history would see him as revered on the banks of the Seine as is Madrid or Manchester.  Moving to Laurent Blanc’s side would also allow him to keep adding to his Champions League goal total, now at 82, higher than any other player. Messi is on 77.

SEE MORE: PSG planning to pay £250 million for Ronaldo next summer.

The same goes if he chooses to return to Manchester United, who would gladly take him back at Old Trafford, a place where he is truly loved. While Wayne Rooney — a former teammate about whom Ronaldo recently said, “Maybe we will play together again one day” — is within 14 goals of Sir Bobby Charlton’s long-standing club record of 249, Ronaldo is currently 18th on the list, with 118. The idea of being the leading goalscorer at Madrid and Manchester United would certainly appeal to him. Achieving this would be hard. It would be unlikely, improbably, fantastical. But Ronaldo is unlikely, improbable, fantastical. He is an outlier. A freak.

Of course, returning to United would raise the chance of negative comparisons against his first spell, even if he’s now a different type of player. Despite all the evidence that his game has changed, the accessibility of Spanish football on English television and via the internet, memories live long, and some of the ones he created at United are indelible. They would be getting a different Ronaldo to the one who departed.

There is a third option: moving out of Europe. The United States is somewhere his agent has previously mentioned he would consider when his Madrid contract expires in 2018. He would be paid exorbitant amounts of money, and the move would be good for the Cristiano brand, which, judging by the new cologne he has released, is something he is interested in developing. Cristiano could then aim to become the world’s best known footballer, as opposed to the world’s best.

As Ronaldo says, “nobody knows” where his future lies — not even he does — but the chances of it being somewhere away from Real Madrid are high. And after passing Raul’s record, those chances are higher still.