MS Dhoni the 9th most marketable athlete in the world

Published - 24 Jul 2015, 12:55 IST | Updated - 24 Jul 2015, 12:55 IST

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MS Dhoni the 9th most marketable athlete in the world:

The Indian limited overs skipper MS Dhoni is named as the 9^th most marketable athlete of the world. The list was released by the London School of Marketing after conducting a deep study on all the athletes around the world. In the list, Dhoni edges out even the likes of Cristiano Ronaldo, Lionel Messi and Neymar. The list was compiled after looking at the total earnings as well revenue generated by these athletes from various brand endorsements. No other cricketer makes a cut in the list and the likes of Virat Kohli and Sachin Tendulkar also misses out in the list of top 20.

The 34-year old is the most successful Indian skipper and has led India to glory in all the major ICC trophies. While at domestic level also, he has captained Chennai Super Kings (CSK) to IPL and Champions trophy laurels. Under him, India has also reached the coveted no.1 position in both ODI’s and Tests respectively. The Ranchi lad is also hailed as one of the best finishers in limited overs cricket and has been the spine of Indian team in the ODI format for over a decade.

Captain Cool who started his journey as a ticket collector is also the richest cricketer in the world with his annual income estimated to be around $ 31.5 million mark. With an estimated salary of $3.5 million a year, he spawns much of his income from various brand endorsements. The name MSD is a big brand in itself and he endorses as many as 21 brands which include the likes of Aircel, Reebok, Lays, Exide, TVS, Sony Bravia, Royal Stag, Amity University and Boost. He is also co-producing M.S Dhoni “The Untold Story” the biopic which got him 3 million riches in the pocket. He also occupies the 23^rd position in the Forbes list of top 100 highest paid athletes which was released in 2015.

Here is the list of the 20 most marketable athletes in the world:

1. Roger Federer – Tennis

2. Tiger Woods – Golf

3. Phil Mickelson – Golf

4. LeBron James – Basketball

5. Kevin Durant – Basketball

6. Rory McIlroy – Golf

7. Novak Djokovic – Tennis

8. Rafael Nadal – Tennis

9. Mahendra Singh Dhoni – Cricket

10. Cristiano Ronaldo – Football

11. Kobe Bryant – Basketball