MS Dhoni is 9th most marketable athlete in world, beats Ronaldo, Messi

Mangalore Today News Network

New Delhi: July 24, 2015: After being included in its list of 100 highest-paid athletes in the world by Forbes magazine earlier in the year, Mahendra Singh Dhoni has now found place in London School of Marketing’s list of most marketable sports persons in the world.

 

India’s ODI skipper is 9th on the list, ahead of world football superstars Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi.

As per the study, the Indian wicketkeeper-batsman also beat sporting legends like Usain Bolt and Kobe Bryant.

17-time Grand Slam champion Roger Federer topped the list, while Tiger Woods was ranked second.

Other notable names on the list included Novak Djokovic, Phil Mickelson and LeBron James.

According to a report on ATP’s official website, London School of Marketing’s study came up with a list after taking into consideration brand value of the athletes, their annual income from sponsorships as a percentage of their total earnings, and social media influence.

Earlier, Dhoni was ranked 23rd on the Forbes list of The World’s Highest-Paid Athletes 2015, dropping a notch from his ranking of 22 last year.

Dhoni’s total earnings stood at USD 31 million, including amount from salary/winnings at USD 4 million and endorsements worth USD 27 million.

Top 20 most marketable sports stars:

1. R Federer (SUI) Tennis

2. T Woods (USA) Golf

3. P Mickelson (USA) Golf

4. L James (USA) Basketball

5. K Durant (USA) Basketball

6. R McIlroy (NIR) Golf

7. N Djokovic (SRB) Tennis

8. R Nadal (ESP) Tennis

9. MS Dhoni (IND) Cricket

10. C Ronaldo (POR) Football

11. K Bryant (USA) Basketball

12. M Sharapova (RUS) Tennis

13. Lionel Messi (ARG) Football

14. Usain Bolt (JAM) Athletics

15. Neymar (BRA) Football

16. Andy Murray (GBR) Tennis

17. Kei Nishikori (JPN) Tennis

18. Derrick Rose (USA) Basketball

19. Floyd Mayweather (USA) Boxing

20. Serena Williams (USA) Tennis