Indian cricket team captain Virat Kohli has surpassed Argentine football star Lionel Messi in the list of most valuable brands among athletes, according to Forbes.
Indian cricket team captain Virat Kohli has surpassed Argentine football star Lionel Messi in the list of most valuable brands among athletes, according to Forbes.
Kohli's value this year stands at $14.5 million, while Messi is ranked ninth with $13.5 million. Tennis legend Roger Federer tops the list with a brand value of $37.2 million followed by NBA star LeBron James ($33.4 million) and sprint king Usain Bolt ($27 million).
Portugal and Real Madrid star Cristiano Ronaldo, who recently won the FIFA best player of the year award for the fifth time, has been ranked no. 4 with a total value of $21.5 million.
Top 10 most valuable athletes:
1. Roger Federer $37.2m
2. LeBron James $33.4m
3. Usain Bolt $27m
4. Cristiano Ronaldo $21.5m
5. Phil Mickelson $19.6m
6. Tiger Woods $16.6m
7. Virat Kohli $14.5m
8. Rory McIlroy $13.6m
9. Lionel Messi $13.5m
10. Stephen Curry $13.4m
Kohli overtook former Australian skipper Ricky Ponting among batsmen with most ODI centuries during the series opener against New Zealand on Sunday. He has notched up 31 ODI tons and is second only to Sachin Tendulkar (49).
In June earlier this year, Kohli had spoken about his rising brand value, saying: “My brand value should be somewhere in the region of $120 million. But these are just number for me. It is not something that I strive for. It is just a by-product of something that I do in my professional career and the focus always remains that.”
(With agency inputs)