World's most valuable athlete brands

Modified Oct 09, 2014 14:52 IST

Forbes has released the list of athletes with the most brand value in the world. Forbes calculates endorsement income minus the average endorsement income of top 10 athletes in the same sport to come up with the rankings.The 10 athletes belong to six different sports and are some of the best in their game.

#10 Rafael Nadal

Nadal is the new entrant into the list from last year. The Spaniard had a tremendous 2013 after he made a comeback from injury to win two Grand Slams ( French Open and the US Open). He won a record ninth title at Roland Garros earlier this year. The current World No. 3 finished last year as the top-ranked player.

The man from Mallorca earned a prize money of $14.5 million for 12 months ending June.

Brand Value 2013: Not Listed

Brand Value 2014: $10 million

#9 Lionel Messi

Messi earned $23 million through endorsements over the last year after Adidas launched his signature shoes. The Barcelona star also featured in an advertisement of Turkish Airlines with Kobe Bryant.

Brand Value 2013: $12 million

Brand Value 2014: $13 million

#8 Kobe Bryant

Los Angeles Lakers’ shooting guard Kobe Bryant endorses several deals including Turkish Air, Lenovo, Hublot, Nike and Panini which account to about $30 million annually.

Brand Value 2013: $19 million

Brand Value 2014: $15 million

#7 Cristiano Ronaldo

Real Madrid’s prolific goal scorer Ronaldo was voted the most valuable player in the world for the second time last year. He earned over $28 million from endorsements over the past year.

Brand Value 2013: $17 million

Brand Value 2014: $13 million

#6 Usain Bolt

The fastest man on the planet, Bolt extended his contract with Puma until 2016. It is valued at $10 million a year.

Brand Value 2013: $20 million

Brand Value 2014: $19 million

#5 Mahendra Singh Dhoni

The Indian captain signed bat sponsorship deal with Spartan and a deal with Amity University late last year worth a combined $4 million annually.

Brand Value 2013: $21 million

Brand Value 2014: $20 million

#4 Phil Mickhelson

Mickhelson was rewarded with major bonuses after winning the British Open for the first time in his career. The American also earned more than $40 million from appearances and other endorsements.

Brand Value 2013: $25 million

Brand Value 2014: $29 million

#3 Roger Federer

Roger Federer might not have a Grand Slam for more than a two years, but his deals with the likes of Nike, Rolex, Credit Suisse and others pay him more than $40 million annually. The World No. 2 reached the Wimbledon finals earlier this year.

Brand Value 2013: $46 million

Brand Value 2014: $32 million

#2 Tiger Woods

Tiger Woods has been dethroned from top of the list for the first time in seven years. There was a significant drop in the American golfer’s earnings after Electronic Arts (EA) stopped making the Tiger Woods video game after 14 versions.

Woods was injured twice this year.

Brand Value 2013: $46 million

Brand Value 2014: $36 million

#1 LeBron James

The Cleveland Cavaliers’ star “King” James tops the list with a cool $53 million endorsement deals with Nike, McDonald’s, Coca-Cola, Upper Deck among others.

Brand Value 2013: $27 million

Brand Value 2014: $37 million

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Edited by Staff Editor