Brand Virat Kohli more valuable than Lionel Messi in 2017 top 10 athletes list

Key highlights:

• Virat Kohli is now a more valuable brand than footballer Lionel Messi
• Kohli's brand value is estimated at a massive $14.5 million and is ranked No.7
• List of 10 most valuable athletes in 2017 include Roger Federer, Usain Bolt and Cristiano Ronaldo

Indian Cricket star and skipper Virat Kohli is now a more valuable brand than Argentinian and FC Barcelona footballer Lionel Messi. Kohli is featured in the list of 10 most valuable athletes in 2017 along with sports stars such as Roger Federer, Usain Bolt and Cristiano Ronaldo.

Kohli's brand value is estimated at a massive $14.5 million and is ranked No.7 on the Forbes list of most valuable brands among sportspersons. Lionel Messi with a brand value of $13.5 million is ranked at No.9.

Golfer Rory Mcllroy follows Kohli with a brand value of $13.6 million and in No.10 spot is basketball star Steph Curry with a brand value of $13.4 million.

Tennis star Roger Federer still ranks the highest in the list of most valuable brands among sportspersons. He has an estimated brand value of $37.2 million.

At the second spot is basketball star LeBron James with an estimated brand value of $33.4 million. Sprinter Usain Bolt, who retired this year, came in next with a brand value of $27 million.

He is followed by star footballer Cristiano Ronaldo who is in No.5 spot with an estimated brand value of $21.5 million.

Golfers Phil Mickelson and Tiger Woods come in next with an estimated brand value of $19.6 million and $16.6 million, respectively.

Forbes calculates the brand value of athletes by subtracting the average income of the top 10 athletes in the same sport from the total earnings of that athlete, excluding salary and bonus from their sport and all investment income, according to an Espncricinfo report.

Kohli is not the first Indian cricketer to enter the Forbes Top 10 list as Mahendra Singh Dhoni, India's former captain of the cricket team, was on the list at fifth spot in 2014 at a brand value of $20 million.

However, Dhoni's brand value has taken a hit and came down from $21 million in 2015 to $11 million in 2016, after he gave up Test cricket and captaincy.

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