MUMBAI: Indian cricket captain Virat Kohli has mades the Forbes Fab 40 2019 list, ranking ninth in the Athlete Brands category with a brand value — what his name alone is worth — of $14 million.
The list is topped by Swiss tennis maestro Roger Federer.
The Forbes Fab 40 determines the value of the top brands in sports by quantifying the amount the name contributes to the value of the athlete, event, business or team.
Athlete Brands
1. Roger Federer, $62m
Federer’s $86 million in off-court earnings from partners like Credit Suisse, Mercedes-Benz and Rolex is nearly 60% more than any other athlete’s total.
2. Tiger Woods, $33m
Woods has earned $1.4 billion from sponsors since he turned pro in 1996.
3. Cristiano Ronaldo, $29m
Within 24 hours of its release, Ronaldo’s Juventus jersey sold 520,000 units, worth over $60 million.
4. LeBron James, $28m
In 2018, James teamed up with Cindy Crawford, Arnold Schwarzenegger and Lindsey Vonn to launch Ladder, a health and wellness company.
5. Lionel Messi, $20m
Messi has a lifetime deal with Adidas that reportedly pays him more than $12 million per year.
6. Stephen Curry, $17m
In 2017, Curry formed a new company, SC30, to manage his investments, brand partnerships and philanthropic ventures.
7 (t). Neymar, $15m
Neymar is the second-most-popular athlete on social media, with more than 200 million followers on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.
7 (t). Phil Mickelson, $15m
Mickelson’s sponsorship deals have earned him some $700 million over the course of his career.
9. Virat Kohli, $14m
In 2018, Kohli won the Sir Garfield Sobers Trophy, awarded to the best cricketer of the year, as well as ODI and Test player of the year honors.
10. Conor McGregor, $12m
Before his return fight at UFC 229, McGregor renewed his sponsorship deal with Reebok, which pays the Irishman some $5 million per year.
Athletes’ brand values are their earnings (excluding salary and bonuses from their sport and all investment income) minus the average income of the top ten athletes in the same sport. Business brand values are the difference between a brand’s enterprise value and the average enterprise value of comparable businesses. Event brand values are the average per-day revenue from media, sponsorships, tickets and licensed merchandise. Team brand values measure the portion of the team’s enterprise value not attributable to the size or demographics of the team’s market, the venue or league-shared revenue.
