Mumbai: Cricket might not be a global sport but the sort of fan following Indian skipper Virat Kohli enjoys has made him the only cricketer in the top 10 of ESPN’s World Fame 100.
The list comprises of some of the most famous sportspersons across the globe, with Cristiano Ronaldo to the top of the list, followed by Juventus and then Messi at the third.
This is the first time that Kohli has made a leap into the top 10, having been placed 11th in the standings last year.
Dhoni, despite not playing all the formats for India, finds himself in an impressive 13th position. Yuvraj Singh, who no longer is in the scheme of things as far as international cricket is concerned, is placed 18th.
The list was basically prepared by looking at the – Search Score, Endorsement and Social Following.
https://twitter.com/ESPNIndia/status/1105717234503163905
Ronaldo presently enjoys an overall social media following of 344.3 million, followed by Paris Saint-Germain’s Neymar (208.9m) and Messi (191.7m). In terms of the earnings by endorsements, Lebron James sits atop with USD 52 million. Stephen Curry and Tiger Woods are right behind with USD 42 million, while Roger Federer comes next at USD 41.5 million.
All the Indian men mentioned in the list were from the cricketing background let it be – Yuvraj Singh (18), Suresh Raina (22), R. Ashwin (42), R. Sharma (46), Harbhajan Singh (74) and Shikhar Dhawan (94).
The only three women on the list are Serena Williams (17th), Maria Sharapova (37th) and Sania Mirza (93rd).
