MS Dhoni trumps Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi

Move over Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi. According to a list released by the London School of Marketing, Mahendra Singh Dhoni is the ninth-most marketable sportsperson in the world. In fact, India's most successful cricket captain also trumps Kobe Bryant, Maria Sharapova, Usian Bolt, Neymar and Andy Murray.

Not surprisingly, Roger Federer has been named the world's most marketable athlete, edging out Tiger Woods, Phil Mickelson and LeBron James.

According to a report in atpworldtour.com, the study calculated the brand value of the athletes, taking into account their current income from sponsorships as a percentage of their total earnings, and also factored in their social media presence.

M FOR MARKETABILITY

Rank Athlete (Country) Sport
1. R Federer (SUI) Tennis
2. T Woods (USA) Golf
3. P Mickelson (USA) Golf
4. L James (USA) Basketball
5. K Durant (USA) Basketball
6. R McIlroy (NIR) Golf
7. N Djokovic (SRB) Tennis
8. R Nadal (ESP) Tennis
9. MS Dhoni (IND) Cricket
10. C Ronaldo (POR) Football
11. K Bryant (USA) Basketball
12. M Sharapova (RUS) Tennis
13. Lionel Messi (ARG) Football
14. Usain Bolt (JAM) Athletics
15. Neymar (BRA) Football
16. Andy Murray (GBR) Tennis
17. Kei Nishikori (JPN) Tennis
18. Derrick Rose (USA) Basketball
19. Floyd Mayweather (USA) Boxing
20. Serena Williams (USA) Tennis