Virat Kohli, India’s cricketing star has been named the third most marketable athlete in the world behind NBA’s MVP ( Most Valuable Player) Stephen Curry and Manchester United’s French star Paul Pogba. Virat Kohli finished much ahead of sporting icons like Lionel Messi, Novak Djokovic, Cristiano Ronaldo and Usain Bolt.
The list is according to SportsPro. The criteria of ranking athletes all over the world is marketing potential over a three-year period from this summer. The key areas on which they have been assessed are value of money, age, charisma and a willingness to be marketed.
This is the reason perhaps why athletes like Virat Kohli and Paul Pogba have finished ahead of the likes of Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo. Kohli is just ahead of golfer Jordan Spieth. Lionel Messi is 27th on the list and the world’s fastest man Usain Bolt is 31st. Surprisingly, Real Madrid superstar Cristiano Ronaldo is in the 35th position. The huge fees he demands might have played a role in the relatively low ranking as one of the main areas on which they have been assessed is value of money.
Messi’s Barcelona team-mate Neymar is 8th making him the second most marketable footballer after Paul Pogba. The only other Indian on the list is Sania Mirza who is ranked number 42 on the list. The list surprisingly does not include sporting stalwarts like Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal and M.S. Dhoni.
Formula one star Lewis Hamilton took the top spot in 2015, while Brazilian superstar Neymar was on top in 2013 and 2014. The period for which this list has been made includes major events like the Rio Olympics, winter Olympics in South Korea and the FIFA World Cup to be held in Russia in 2018.
The sport which has the most names on this list is unsurprisingly football with eight stars making the list. What is more surprising perhaps is the fact that stars like Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and Alex Teixeira have been ranked ahead of Cristiano Ronaldo. There is also a sizeable contingent from sponsor driven sports such as tennis and golf.
Virat Kohli has had an incredible year and he is easily one of the most recognisable faces in world cricket and India. Here are the 10 most marketable athletes this year:
| Position | Player | Sport |
| 1 | Stephen Curry | Basketball |
| 2 | Paul Pogba | Football |
| 3 | Virat Kohli | Cricket |
| 4 | Jordan Spieth | Golf |
| 5 | Anthony Joshua | Pro Boxing |
| 6 | Kei Nishikori | Tennis |
| 7 | Lydia Ko | Golf |
| 8 | Neymar | Football |
| 9 | Missy Franklin | Swimming |
| 10 | Mikaela Shiffrin | Alpine Ski Racer |
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