Forbes list of most valuable athletes: Indian cricket captain MS Dhoni at Number 5
Indian cricket captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni is the 5th most valuable athlete in the world, accoding to Forbes, as reported by NDTV. The 33-year-old wicket-keeper batsman has earned 21 million USD in 2013 and is ahead of world’s most renowned football stars in Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi.
The ‘value’ is based on the money earned through endorsements and as wages in the last year. It can be noted that Dhoni, at 22nd spot, was the only Indian in the 2014 Forbes list of highest paid athletes released last month.
The list is topped by tennis great Roger Federer and golf star Tiger Woods. Both of them supposedly earned 46 million USD in 2013. Basketball star LeBron James and another golfer Phil Mickelson follow the pair with 27 and 25 million USD respectively. Russian tennis star and this year’s French Open champion Maria Sharapova is ahead of the Indian cricketer, at No.4, earning 23 million USD.
| # | Sportsperson | Nationality | Sport | Earnings (USD) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Roger Federer | Switzerland | Tennis | 46 million |
| Tiger Woods | United States of America | Golf | 46 million | |
| 2 | LeBron James | United States of America | Basketball | 27 million |
| 3 | Phil Mickelson | United States of America | Golf | 25 million |
| 4 | Maria Sharapova | Russia | Tennis | 23 million |
| 5 | Mahendra Singh Dhoni | India | Cricket | 21 million |
| 6 | Usain Bolt | Jamaica | Track and Field | 20 million |
| 7 | Kobe Bryant | United States of America | Basketball | 19 million |
| 8 | Li Na | China | Tennis | 15 million |
| 9 | Cristiano Ronaldo | Portugal | Football | 13 million |
| 10 | Lionel Messi | Argentina | Football | 13 million |