Two world’s best players Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi are by far the richest players in the world of football. But how do they measure up against the rest of the world? Here are the top 10 most valuable athletes according to Forbes.

10. Mahendra Singh Dhoni – Cricket



Current brand value: $11 million

The Indian super star is widely regarded as one of the greatest finishers in limited-overs cricket. He currently serves as the captain of India’s national cricket team. In 2011, he was named by TIME Magazine as one of the 100 most influential people of the year. He was also named by SportsPro as the world’s 16th most remarkable athlete.

9. Rory McIlroy – Golf



Current brand value: $13 million

Professional Northern Irish golfer was world number one in the Official World Golf Ranking for 95 weeks. The Rory McIlroy current brand value is about half what it could be because of his Ireland high tax rate of 52%, adding to career earnings from PGA Tours, European golf tours, he has signed several fat endorsement deals.

8. Lionel Messi – Football



Current brand value: $15 million

Lionel Messi has quietly become the best football player of his generation,the Argentine is the only football player in history to win five FIFA Ballons d’Or, four of which he won consecutively, Messi is second richest footballer after his arch rival Ronaldo, despite being convicted of tax fraud committed from 2007 to 2009, for which he received a fine and a suspended prison sentence.

7. Kevin Durant – Basketball



Current brand value: $16 million

Kevin Durant is unanimously considered one of the two best Basketball players in the world and well on his way to claiming his spot atop that list. The American great has won an NBA Most Valuable Player Award in 2014, four NBA scoring titles, the NBA Rookie of the Year Award, and two Olympic gold medals. He has also been selected to six All-NBA teams and seven All-Star teams.

6. Cristiano Ronaldo – Football



Current brand value: $19 million

Cristiano Ronald is on the brink of winning his fourth Ballon d’Or as the best player in the world as he helped his Real Madrid side to win their 11th Champions League and his country Portugal to win first ever international trophy at Euro 2016. He is the only player to win four European Golden Shoe awards. One of the most marketable athletes in sport, in 2016 Forbes named Ronaldo the world’s best paid athlete. Thanks to his sponsorship deals with brands such Nike, Tag Heuer, and Herbalife, as well as his own line of products, Ronaldo brought home $19 million in endorsement money over the last 12 months.

5. Tiger Woods – Golf



Current brand value: $23 million

The American super star is arguably the greatest golfer ever to play the golf and has a highlight reel of a career to prove it. Woods has won 18 World Golf Championships, and won at least one of those events in each of the first 11 years after they began in 1999. He has been one of the highest-paid athletes in the world for several years.

4. Usain Bolt – Athletics



Current brand value: $25 million

The Jamaican sprinter Usain Bolt, a big fan of Manchester United, is widely regarded as the fastest human ever timed, he is the first man to hold both the 100 metres and 200 metres world records since fully automatic time became mandatory. An eleven-time World Champion, he won consecutive World Championship 100 m, 200 m and 4 × 100 metres relay gold medals from 2009 to 2015. His achievements in sprinting have earned him the media nickname “Lightning Bolt”, this makes him the most adorable sprinter in the world and provides him with heavy income from this sport and endorsement.

Full list here: http://www.istylmagazine.com/news/sports/top-10-most-valuable-athletes-in-the-world/