ESPN released its list of World Fame 100 which ranks sportspersons around the globe on basis of factors like Google trend score, endorsement dollars, and social media followers. Virat Kohli is the only cricketer and Indian to enter the top 10 of list this year, which is topped by footballer Cristiano Ronaldo. The list of 100 sportspersons is prepared by ESPN’s Sports Analytics group from 800 athletes.
Virat Kohli is positioned on the 7th rank, up from his 11th rank in last year’s list. MS Dhoni has bagged 13th spot on the list. More cricketers on the list are Yuvraj Singh (18), Suresh Raina (22), Rohit Sharma (46), Harbhajan Singh (74), Ravichandran Ashwin (42), Mushfiqur Rahim (92), Shikhar Dhawan (94), Mashrafe Mortaza (98) and Shakib Al Hasan (99). All of these cricketers were also part of the list in 2018. AB de Villiers and Gautam Gambhir were part of the list last year but could not make up to the list this time.
After top ranked Ronaldo, American basketball star LeBron James comes on the 2nd place. He is followed by footballer Lionel Messi and Neymar on the 3rd and 4th place respectively. Tennis legends Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal also feature in the list at 6th and 8th spot respectively. There are only three women sportspersons on the list namely Serena Williams (17th), Maria Sharapova (37th) and Sania Mirza (93rd).
Check out the full rankings of the ESPN World Fame 100 to see if your favourite stars made the cut 👉 https://t.co/Sl8ftJ36Zy
— ESPN UK (@ESPNUK) March 12, 2019