NEW YORK (SW): The U.S.-based global cable and satellite television channel Entertainment and Sports Programming Network (ESPN) has crowned Cristiano Ronaldo as the world’s most famous sports personality.
ESPN director of sports analytics Ben Alamar this week produced a definitive list of the 100 most famous athletes in the world. Alamar devised a formula that combines salary and endorsements with social media following and Google search popularity to create the ESPN World Fame 100 rankings.
Indian cricketer Virat Kohli is also among the top ten.
Soccer players, particularly those from Real Madrid and FC Barcelona, dominate the top the list, with Cristiano Ronaldo sitting first, Lionel Messi third, Neymar fourth, James Rodriguez ninth and Gareth Bale 12th.
Tennis and golf also were well represented, as they combined to hold 16 places on the top 100, including seven of the top 20 spots. Roger Federer and Tiger Woods are the leading figures in tennis and golf, respectively.
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