Stay up to date with notifications from The Independent

Notifications can be managed in browser preferences.

Cristiano Ronaldo the most valuable footballer in the world - Lionel Messi doesn't even make Forbes' Top 10

No other footballers make Forbes' list 

Tom Sheen
Friday 23 October 2015 06:55 EDT
Comments

Your support helps us to tell the story

From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.

At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.

The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.

Your support makes all the difference.

Cristiano Ronaldo is the only footballer to be named in a list of the 10 Most Valuable Athlete Brands in the world.

That means the Real Madrid forward beats his rival Lionel Messi, according to a study conducted by American business magazine Forbes.

But rather than look at the wealthiest athletes the list, dominated by American athletes, used a different methodology.

They state: "Athlete brand values are the amount by which endorsement income exceeds the average endorsement income earned by the top 10 earning athletes in the same sport during the past year."

For example undefeated boxing champion Floyd Mayweather is easily the world's richest athlete, his salary from the sport standing at about $285m after his mega-fight with Manny Pacquiao and then Andre Berto.

That amount is almost double Pacquiao, who is second on the list at $148m. But because his endorsements and sponsorships are relatively low, Mayweather is only 10th on this list.

Scroll through the gallery for the top 10:

Let us know your thoughts in the comment box below

Join our commenting forum

Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies

Comments

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in