Barcelona forward Lionel Messi is no longer among the top 10 most valuable athletes in the world, according to American finance publication Forbes. Messi previously occupied ninth position in 2014 with an estimated worth of $12 million – a drop of one million from the previous year – but does not feature at all in the athletes’ top 10 for 2015. Rory McIlroy and Floyd Mayweather Jr instead enter the top 10 with the undefeated boxing champion having signed several lucrative endorsements before his July fight with Manny Pacquiao. Madrid star Cristiano Ronaldo, who was seventh a year ago, has also suffered a drop in the rankings and has now moved down to eighth despite releasing a new clothing range.
Forbes’ Top 10 Most Valuable Athletes:
1. Tiger Woods – Worth $30m
2. Phil Mickelson – $28m
3. LeBron James – $27m
4. Roger Federer – $27m
5. MS Dhoni – $21m
6. Usain Bolt – $18m
7. Kevin Durant – $18m
8. Cristiano Ronaldo – $16m
9. Rory McIlroy – $12m
10. Floyd Mayweather Jr – $11.5m

This news is inconsequential.... $11.5m is lunch money for floyd mayweather