MS Dhoni trumps Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi
India's most successful cricket captain is the ninth-most marketable athlete in the world
Move over Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi. According to a list released by the London School of Marketing, Mahendra Singh Dhoni is the ninth-most marketable sportsperson in the world. In fact, India's most successful cricket captain also trumps Kobe Bryant, Maria Sharapova, Usian Bolt, Neymar and Andy Murray.
Not surprisingly, Roger Federer has been named the world's most marketable athlete, edging out Tiger Woods, Phil Mickelson and LeBron James.
According to a report in atpworldtour.com, the study calculated the brand value of the athletes, taking into account their current income from sponsorships as a percentage of their total earnings, and also factored in their social media presence.M FOR MARKETABILITYRank Athlete (Country) Sport1. R Federer (SUI) Tennis2. T Woods (USA) Golf3. P Mickelson (USA) Golf4. L James (USA) Basketball5. K Durant (USA) Basketball6. R McIlroy (NIR) Golf7. N Djokovic (SRB) Tennis8. R Nadal (ESP) Tennis9. MS Dhoni (IND) Cricket10. C Ronaldo (POR) Football11. K Bryant (USA) Basketball12. M Sharapova (RUS) Tennis13. Lionel Messi (ARG) Football14. Usain Bolt (JAM) Athletics15. Neymar (BRA) Football16. Andy Murray (GBR) Tennis17. Kei Nishikori (JPN) Tennis18. Derrick Rose (USA) Basketball19. Floyd Mayweather (USA) Boxing20. Serena Williams (USA) Tennis