ESPN released its ranking of the most popular athletes in the world back in May, and once again, Cristiano Ronaldo was at the top of the list.
The list was compiled by Ben Alamar, ESPN's director of analytics. He devised a formula that weighs factors like endorsements, social media following, and internet search popularity to sift through thousands of athletes, and the result was a rundown of the biggest international superstars in sports.
Below, take a look at the top 25 best-known athletes. The list includes six tennis players, five soccer players, four basketball players, four golfers, two fighters, two cricket players, a quarterback, and a track star.
25. Conor McGregor
Sport: MMA/Boxing
Country: Ireland
Salary: $70 million (estimate)
Endorsements: $4 million
Facebook likes: 7.6 million
Twitter followers: 6.8 million
Instagram followers: 21.7 million
24. Dwyane Wade
Sport: Basketball
Country: USA
Salary: $2.3 million
Endorsements: $13 million
Twitter followers: 7.5 million
Instagram followers: 10.2 million
23. Maria Sharapova
Sport: Tennis
Country: Russia
Salary: $554,990
Endorsements: $15 million
Facebook likes: 15.3 million
Twitter followers: 8.1 million
Instagram followers: 2.9 million
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