Sportspersons in 2014 Forbes list of World's 100 most powerful celebrities

Sixteen athletes find themselves in the latest list of worlds 100 most powerful celebrities released byForbes on their official website.The list was topped by American singer and actressBeyonc Knowles who dethronedtalk show host Oprah Winfrey, declaring herself as the most powerful celebrity around.But, how do the athletes rank in among all of these A-listers?The rankings are based on yearly earnings, social media presence and impacteach of thesecelebrities has had on their field ofwork.In this slideshow, we bring you the 16 most powerful athletes in the world:

#16 Li Na

Rank: 85

Country: China

Sport: Tennis

Earning: $27 million

Currently ranked World no. 2, Li Na continues to be one of the most marketable female athletes in the world. She had appeared on the cover of Times Magazine last year

Li continues to play her best tennis at an age, 32, when most players are already out to pasture. She rose to a career high world ranking of No. 2 in February after winning the Australian Open the previous month for her second career Grand Slam title. The win triggered a massive bonus from sponsor Nike as well as her other endorsement partners. Li became a marketing darling in 2011 when she won the French Open to become the first Asian-born tennis player ever to win a Grand Slam singles event. Li shills for Babolat, Nike, Rolex, Samsung and Mercedes, as well as multiple Chinese companies.

#15 Serena Williams

Rank: 69

Country: United States of America

Sport: Tennis

Earning: $22 million

With an estimated net worth of $90 million, Serena Williams may not have made big sponsorship deals in her bag, well not the kind that Maria Sharapova does, but her $56 million from prize money is almost double to that of Sharapova’s. With deals with brands like Nike, Gatorade, Wilson and OPI, the American tennis star makes $11 million annually from product endorsement.

#14 Maria Sharapova

Rank: 63

Country: Russia

Sport: Tennis

Earning: $24 million

Even though Maria Sharapova’s annual income had taken a massive hit this year following her injury, she remains to be the highest paid female athlete in the world for the tenth straight year. Her premium candy line, Sugarpova sold an estimated number of 1.3 million bags last year, with each of these bags costing $5.99.

#13 Dwayne Wade

Rank:55

Country:United States of America

Sport:Basketball

Earning:$30million

Miami Heats Dwayne Wade is one of NBAs most prominent players, and finds himself 55^thin the Top 100 list. His contract worth $107.5 millionwith Miami pays around$17 million annually, in addition to his several endorsementdeals with brands such as Li Ning, Gatorade andHublo.

#12 Lionel Messi

Rank: 45

Country: Argentina

Sport: Football

Earning: $65 million

Regarded as one of the sport’s biggest players of all time, Lionel Messi might have fallen short of his rival Cristiano Ronaldo in terms of making the most money, the Argentine still enjoyed quite a profitable season for himself. Messi’s new contract with Barcelona enables him to a pay of $50 million per year, making him one of the highest earners in football.

His sponsorship deals with Adidas and Turkish Airlines have paid him $25 million over the year.

#11 Phil Mickelson

Rank: 44

Country: United States of America

Sport: Golf

Earning: $54 million

American golfer Phil Mickelson has perhaps mastered the art of making huge money off endorsements deals, earning more than $50 million annually from his ties with Callaway, KPMG, Rolex, ExxonMobil and Barclays, far more from what he earns from prize moeny. Known as ‘Lefty’, the American golfer had also agreed to promote psoriatic arthritis drug Enbrel after being treated with the same drug upon diagnosis back in 2010.

#10 Novak Djokovic

Rank: 43

Country: Serbia

Sport: Tennis

Earning: $33 million

According to Forbes, Novak Djokovic had amassed $38 million in the form of prize money during the period of 2011 to 2013, after appearing in a total of 12 Grand Slams. Much of his earnings have, however, come from endorsement deals, with ties with brands such as Mercedes-Benz, Uniqlo, and Peugot and Seiko earning $21 million annually for the Serbian.

#9 Peyton Manning

Rank: 39

Country: United States of America

Sport: American football

Earning: $27 million

American NFL quarterback Peyton Manning has been earning an annual salary of $15.1 million after he had signed a contract worth $96 million with his current suitors, Denver Broncos two years back. Apart from that, his endorsement ties with Gatorade, DirecTV, Papa John’s among others makes him the NFL’s top product endorser, earning a total of $12 million throughout the year.

#8 Kevin Durant

Rank: 33

Country: United States of America

Sport: Basketball

Earning: $32 million

Kevin Durant finds himself in the eight spot in this list, and most of Kevin Durant’s annual income is generated from his partnership with Nike, a deal that sees the American take home $14 million every year.

His $85 million contract with the Oklahoma City Thunder still has a couple of years left in it, with him earning $17.8 million annually. His jersey is also the second best seller in the NBA.

#7 Cristiano Ronaldo

Rank: 30

Country: Portugal

Sport: Football

Earning: $80 million

Two-times Ballon d’Or winner, Cristiano Ronaldo is the most powerful footballer with an earning of $80 million annually. The Portuguese had recently signed a new contract with UEFA Champions League winners Real Madrid worth more $200 million. In addition, he earned $28 million from his endorsement ties with Nike, Samsung, Fly Emirates and other brands.

#6 Rafael Nadal

Rank: 24

Country: Spain

Sport: Tennis

Earning: $45 million

Spaniard Rafael Nadal had a season to remember last year, winning two Grand Slams and finishing the season as the best ranked tennis player in the world. His immense success on the court triggered several bonus clauses he held with his sponsors which includes the likes of Nike and Kia Motors, earning a total of $14.5 million during the period of June 2013 to June 2014.

#5 Tiger Woods

Rank: 21

Country: United States of America

Sport: Golf

Earning: $61 million

Tiger Woods has seen a massive cut down in his earnings from the past couple of years after game manufacture Electronic Arts ended their partnership with the American golfer back in 2013. EA had previously published 14 editions of the video game bearing his name, and the break up between the two meant an estimated loss of $6.2 million a year for Woods.

However, thanks to his Nike deal, he continues to be one of the highest-paid athletes in the world.

#4 Roger Federer

Rank: 16

Country: Switzerland

Sport: Tennis

Earning: $55 million

Finding himself at the fourth spot in the list, 17-times Grand Slam winner Roger Federer is the most powerful tennis player this year despite the massive collapse in his annual earnings, dropping down from $71.2million to $56.5million.

The Swiss is contracted to one of the world’s biggest brands, such as Nike and Rolex, who pay him

Federer continues to be among the world's best players 16 years after he turned pro. He holds the records for most singles Grand Slam wins (17) and career prize money ($81 million). He appeared in a staggering 18 out of 19 Grand Slam finals between 2005 and 2010. His endorsement portfolio is filled with long-term deals with blue-chip companies like Nike, Rolex and Credit Suisse. His sponsors collectively pay him more than $40 million annually. The latest addition is champagne brand Moet & Chandon, which signed Federer to a five-year deal at the end of 2012.

#3 Kobe Bryant

Rank: 15

Country: United States of America

Sport: Basketball

Earning: $62 million

Laker star Kobe Bryant has been the highest paid player in the NBA for a quite a long now, bringing home $30.5 million each year. The other half of his earning came through his deals with Turkish Air, Nike, Hublot and Panini. His jersey is also the third most sold out jersey during this season after LeBron James and Kevin Durant.

#2 Floyd Mayweather Jr.

Rank: 7

Country: United States of America

Sport: Boxing

Earning: $105 million

Earning a staggering $105 million over the past year, Floyd Mayweather’s dominance in and outside the ring has never been so evident before as he finds himself as the most powerful boxer in this list. He is also the only athlete to have ever amassed $100 million or more in a single year after golfer Tiger Woods.

According to Forbes, his fight against Mexican boxer Saúl Álvarez was the highest contributor to his earnings, with almost a revenue said to be around $200 million, and since he had assumed the role of both the promoter and the fighter, Mayweather took home the lion’s share of that profit.

#1 LeBron James

Rank: 2

Country: United States of America

Sport: Basketball

Earning: $72 million

Miami Heat’s LeBron James’ second spot in the list makes him the top athlete on the list with an estimated earning of $72 million over the past year.

Endorsement deals with global brands such as Nike, McDonald’s and Coca-Cola cover most of his earnings with his Miami Heat salary being Heat $19.3 million. His jersey is also the best selling jersey in NBA.