Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi ranked above Sachin Tendulkar among world’s most admired men in 2021

Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi have been ranked above cricket superstar Sachin Tendulkar in the World’s Most Admired Man survey. Conducted by data analytics firm YouGov, the study surveyed 42,000 people across 38 countries to compile a final top-20 list.

As per the rankings, Cristiano Ronaldo is the fourth-most admired man in the world and the most admired sportsman. His arch-rival Lionel Messi has claimed the seventh position on the list and is the second-most admired footballer/sportsman.

One of cricket’s all-time greats Sachin Tendulkar has been chosen as the 12th most-admired man and is the third-most admired sportsman in the world.

The result shows that 5.7% of the population (42,000) admires Cristiano Ronaldo, winning him the fourth position. Last year, the Portuguese superstar was sixth on the list of World’s Most Admired men.

PSG man Lionel Messi, on the other hand, was voted as the Most Admired Man by 4.4%, allowing him to crack into the top 10. The previous year, Messi could not get into the top half and had to settle for an 11th-placed finish.

Apart from Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi, no footballer in the world has managed to claim a spot on YouGov’s list. Cristiano Ronaldo did not win anything big in the 2020-21 season but maintained his impressive run in front of goal. The then Juventus player scored 36 goals in all competitions for the Bianconeri.

Barcelona legend Lionel Messi also failed to win the league or the Champions League but helped his country lift the Copa America in the summer. Messi joined PSG ahead of the current season and has already started showing flashes of his genius in Ligue 1 and the Champions League.

Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi’s Champions League encounter called off

UEFA held its highly-anticipated Round of 16 draw in Nyon on Monday. As luck would have it, Cristiano Ronaldo’s Manchester United were drawn with Lionel Messi’s PSG, setting up a blockbuster Champions League last-16 clash.

Unfortunately, a clerical error saw the entire draw get nullified, forcing the teams to be drawn again. Unfortunately, lightning did not strike twice, as PSG drew Real Madrid and Manchester United got matched with Atletico Madrid. Fans will be hoping to see both these teams qualify and eventually meet in the latter stages of the tournament.