Marcotti Thinks Likability Plays A Big Part In Who We Think Is The Best Player In The World:

Gabriele Marcotti writing in Sports Illustrated:

"Could the difference be -- ultimately -- the way these people look and come across? Messi and Kaká are both clean-cut and soft-spoken. They look shy and humble. There's something of the underdog about them (which, incidentally, isn't that far from the truth: Messi overcame a hormonal disorder, Kaká broke his neck when he was a kid). Ibrahimovic and Ronaldo both look big and brash. They remind you of the older kid in the playground who stepped into your pick-up games and ran circles around you.

"Of course, the marketing folks picked up on this a long, long time ago, which is why Messi and Kaká far outstrip the other two in terms of Q rating and commercial potential. As for who the greatest of the four is, it's open to debate, and everyone is entitled to his or her opinion. But because we're only human, odds are, the likability factor will affect the debate, probably far more than it should." (Source)