Virat Kohli is the 6th most marketable athlete on earth ahead of Messi, Ronaldo and Bolt

Source: IANS

British magazine Sports Pro’s recently released list of ‘50 most marketable athletes’ features Indian cricketer Virat Kohli on the sixth spot.

The latest list offers quite a few surprises, with rising tennis sensation Eugenie Bouchard clinching the top spot followed by Brazilian footballer Neymar and American golfer Jordan Spieth.

This is the first time ever that a female athlete has made it to the top of this list.

Source: IANS
Eugenie Bouchard is the first woman to top the list | Source: IANS

Australian cricketer Steven Smith is the only other cricketer in the list, taking up the 45th spot.

Source: Live Images
Source: Live Images

The only other Indian on the list is badminton star Saina Nehwal, who is ranked at 44. It’s also notable that she is one of only 12 women who have made it to the top 50.

Source: IANS
Source: IANS

Cristiano Ronaldo comes in at 16.

Source: IANS
Source: IANS

He is closely followed by arch-rival and Barcelona striker Lionel Messi at 22.

Source: IANS
Source: IANS

Usain Bolt, who was the most marketable athlete in 2011, and has consistently made it to the top 5 for the past few seasons has slipped to number 10 this year.

Source: IANS
Source: IANS

The low ranking of some of these prominent names and more importantly, the absence of even bigger names like Federer, Dhoni, Tendulkar, Beckham and so on may shock a few.

Source: IANS
Big names like Sachin Tendulkar do not feature in the list. | Source: IANS

But the publication made their approach and method very clear.

“…in order to keep this feature from becoming a bland list of the world’s best-known sportspeople and to infuse some variety in the markets and sports covered, SportsPro has sought to recognise marketing potential over a period of three years from the perspective of a company seeking an endorsement.

“It is not a list which is intended to reflect the current profile of active athletes, nor is it an estimate of athletes’ personal earning potential.

“The criteria, to be clear, are value for money, age and proximity to retirement or decline, the strength and size of the athlete’s home market, charisma, willingness to participate in marketing campaigns, and crossover appeal,” said the release.

Here are the top ten athletes in the 2015 list

1. Eugenie Bouchard
2. Neymar
3. Jordan Spieth
4. Missy Franklin
5. Lewis Hamilton
6. Virat Kohli
7. Stephen Curry
8. Kei Nishikori
9. Katarina Johnson-Thompson
10. Usain Bolt

Be that as it may, the list should make every Indian proud.