Virat Kohli leapfrogs Lionel Messi in Forbes list of most valuable athletes

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New Delhi, Oct 26: India skipper Virat Kohli has surpassed star Argentina footballer Lionel Messi on Forbes Magazines' list of most valuable brands among athletes.

The popularity of the Indian cricketing star is soaring with every passing day. The right-handed aggressive batsman, who will soon turn 29, is at the seventh spot in the list topped by tennis legend and his favourite sporting icon Roger Federer.

Kohli's brand value in the year 2017 stands at $14.5 million while Federer's brand value is $37.2 million followed by NBA star LeBron James ($33.4m) and sprint king Usain Bolt ($27m).

Federer's brand is worth $37.2 million, meaning he earns $37.2 million more from endorsements that the top-10 earning tennis players. Real Madrid star striker Cristiano Ronaldo is at the third spot with annual earnings of $ 21.5 million.

Kohli is ahead of Barcelona star Messi ($13.5 million), golf star Rory McIlroy ($13.6 million), and Golden State Warriors' Stephen Curry ($13.4 million).

Here are top 10 most valuable athletes:

1. Roger Federer $37.2m

2. LeBron James $33.4m

3. Usain Bolt $27m

4. Cristiano Ronaldo $21.5m

5. Phil Mickelson $19.6m

6. Tiger Woods $16.6m

7. Virat Kohli $14.5m

8. Rory McIlroy $13.6m

9. Lionel Messi $13.5m

10. Steph Curry $13.4m

As per reports, Kohli's brand value was expected to register a 20-25% surge this year. This brand value was expected to soar ever since he was made the captain of the Indian cricket team across all formats.

The right-handed batsman has been in a phenomenal form this year and his affinity towards fitness is inspiring the entire team.

Kohli has amassed 1347 runs from 25 ODI matches at an average of 74.83 in 2017. His strike rate has been 98.53. The Delhi-lad has slammed five centuries, seven half-centuries so far in the 50-over format this year.

With his 121-run knock against New Zealand in the first ODI, Kohli scored his career's 31st ODI century and went past Australian legend Ricky Ponting's 30 tons' record. He's now only behind Sachin Tendulkar's 49 ODI hundreds.