ESPN has released World's 100 most famous athletes list for the year, 2017. The list features a host of familiar names from the world of sports and includes both male and female athletes.
How is it calculated?
It was studied using a formula which combined salary and endorsements. Along with this, the social media following and Google search engine popularity was also added.
The results were then calculated to figure out who the 100 most famous athletes on the planet were. Here are the top 15:
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Who's on top?
Cristiano Ronaldo has been named the most famous athlete in the world. The Portuguese international helped Real Madrid win the title this season and also guided them to the Champions League final where they face Juventus.
With endorsements of $32 million and over 200 118.1m Facebook followers, 93m Instagram followers and over 50m Twitter followers, the Portuguese occupies the top spot.
Cleveland Cavaliers star, LeBron James with endorsement deals of a whopping $55 million and a social media following of over 85 million, came in second. Leo Messi, who has scored the most goals in La Liga last season is 3rd in the list.
The Argentine does not have a Twitter account but still has over 150 million followers. His Facebook page has 87 million likes while his Instagram page has 65 million followers. His endorsements earn him $28 million!
Roger Federer who was fifth on the list last season has jumped to fourth in this year’s ranking. The main reason for this was his Australian Open triumph at the start of this year.
The Tennis legend has endorsements worth $60 million, and with 14.2m Facebook likes, 2.8m Instagram followers and 6.7m Twitter followers, it's no surprise that he has climbed the ranking.
There are just four cricketers in the top 100, and all of them are Indian. Virat Kohli is the highest placed at #13 while former Indian captain, Mahendra Singh Dhoni is at #15.
The other two cricketers are Yuvraj Singh who is at #90, and Suresh Raina who is #95 on the list. Not only are these four the only Indian's on the list, but they are also the only athletes from Asia to make it.
Here is the top 15:
| Rank | Name | Sport |
1 | Cristiano Ronaldo | Football |
| 2 | LeBrom James | Basketball |
| 3 | Lionel Messi | Football |
| 4 | Roger Federer | Tennis |
| 5 | Phil Mickelson | Golf |
| 6 | Neymar Jr | Football |
| 7 | Usain Bolt | Athletics |
| 8 | Kevin Durant | Basketball |
| 9 | Rafael Nadal | Tennis |
| 10 | Tiger Woods | Golf |
| 11 | Stephen Curry | Basketball |
| 12 | Novak Djokovic | Tennis |
| 13 | Virat Kohli | Cricket |
| 14 | Rory McIlroy | Golf |
| 15 | MS Dhoni | Cricket |
