ESPN have released their World rankings of the most famour athletes on the planet right now and Cristiano Ronaldo has taken pole position in the list.
The Real Madrid star is undoubtedly one of the biggest celebrities football has ever produced and it seems that his brand value has helped him overtake Lionel Messi in popularity rankings.
The Barcelona superstar is third on the list, behind Ronaldo and Lebron James. Messi’s club teammate Neymar is sixth in the rankings.
Real Madrid have five players on the list, same as of that of their rivals Barcelona.
The rankings have been compiled using a formula that combines endorsements with social media following and internet search popularity.
La Liga superstars Gareth Bale, Luis Suarez and Antoine Griezmann are also a part of the 100 most famous athletes.
As far as the Premier League players are concerned, the likes of Ibrahimovic, Sanchez, Ozil and Rooney are ranked 26, 29, 30 and 31st respectively. Eden Hazard is surprisingly 78th in the rankings.
Manchester City forward Gabriel Jesus is a surprising entry considering the fact that he has only just moved to Europe and is yet to make a name for himself in the Premier League.
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