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Virat Kohli, MS Dhoni feature in ESPN World Fame 100 list; Cristiano Ronaldo takes top spot

According to ESPN World Fame 100, Virat Kohli and MS Dhoni are among the top-20 biggest names in the world of sports with Cristiano Ronaldo at the top.

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Virat Kohli and MS Dhoni make it to ESPN World Fame 100. (Source: IPL)

Indian cricketers Virat Kohli and MS Dhoni appeared in the top 20 biggest names in the world of sports while Cristiano Ronaldo was tagged the most famous athlete in the world, according to ESPN World Fame 100, released on Tuesday.

Indian cricket captain Kohli is the most popular athlete in India and has been slotted just outside the top ten on the latest World Fame 100. Nine cricketers are among the 11 Indian athletes on the list. As India is one of the biggest users of Facebook and cricket the leading sport in the country, it is no surprise that Yuvraj Singh (57) comes ahead of four-time F1 world champion Lewis Hamilton (68), while Harbhajan Singh (80) and Gautam Gambhir (83) are above football stars Robert Lewandowski (84) and Eden Hazard (85).

Real Madrid and Portugal superstar Ronaldo leads the list for the third successive year. NBA superstar LeBron James and Barcelona star Lionel Messi take the second and third spot.

ESPN uses various categories to score athletes around the world including search score, social media as well as endorsement deals to come to a judgement.

Portugal captain Ronaldo retains his crown after guiding Los Blancos to their third successive UEFA Champions League final by scoring in ten consecutive European matches. He earns more than £30 million through advertisements and enjoys a social media following of 121.7 million.

Others to make it to the top ten of the list are Neymar, Roger Federer, Tiger Woods, Kevin Durant, Rafael Nadal, Stephen Curry and Phil Mickelson.

Indians in the list: Virat Kohli (11th), MS Dhoni (20th), Rohit Sharma (30th), Suresh Raina (41st), Saina Nehwal (50th), Yuvraj Singh (57th), R Ashwin (71st), Harbhajan Singh (80th), Gautam Gambhir (83rd), Shikhar Dhawan (94th), Sania Mirza (100th)