2018 Most Popular Athletes - ESPN World Fame 100
This is the third year that ESPN have been calculating the world's most popular athletes, using a ranking based on a proprietary formula which factors online searches, endorsements and social media followers. The most famous athletes this year was the same as in the previous two years, Portuguese footballer Cristiano Ronaldo. We have also listed the top-ranked athlete from each sport and from each country that was on the list.
List of Top-10 most famous sports people of 2018
Here is the top-10 of the World's most famous sports people of 2018. Income and followers are listed as millions. Search popularity was also factored into the ranking. The top three most famous sports people have not changed in the first three years of this list. There were many women on the list too, the highest ranked was Serena Williams at 12th.
| Name | Sport | Nationality | Search | Endorse- ments |
Followers | last year | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Cristiano Ronaldo | Soccer | Portugal | 100 | 40 | 121.7 | 1 |
| 2 | LeBron James | Basketball | USA | 63 | 55 | 40.8 | 2 |
| 3 | Lionel Messi | Soccer | Argentina | 134 | 25 | 88.1 | 3 |
| 4 | Neymar | Soccer | Brazil | 179 | 24 | 90.2 | 6 |
| 5 | Roger Federer | Tennis | Switzerland | 92 | 40 | 14.6 | 4 |
| 6 | Tiger Woods | Golf | USA | 88 | 45 | 6.3 | 10 |
| 7 | Kevin Durant | Basketball | USA | 45 | 36 | 17.5 | 8 |
| 8 | Rafael Nadal | Tennis | Spain | 61 | 33 | 15.5 | 9 |
| 9 | Stephen Curry | Basketball | USA | 38 | 35 | 19.4 | |
| 10 | Phil Mickelson | Golf | USA | 3 | 50 | 0 | 5 |
The Most Famous For Each Country
Here is the most famous sports people for each country in 2018, taken from the top 100 list.
| Nationality | Name | Sport | Search | Endorse- ments |
Followers | overall rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Argentina | Lionel Messi | Soccer | 134 | 25 | 88.1 | 3 |
| Belarus | Victoria Azarenka | Tennis | 4 | 9 | 1.5 | 98 |
| Belgium | Eden Hazard | Soccer | 5 | 4.2 | 12.3 | 85 |
| Brazil | Neymar | Soccer | 179 | 24 | 90.2 | 4 |
| Chile | Alexis Sanchez | Soccer | 80 | 7.7 | 8.8 | 40 |
| China | Sun Yang | Swimming | 1 | - | 32 | 17 |
| Colombia | James Rodriguez | Soccer | 27 | 6 | 35.1 | 23 |
| Denmark | Caroline Wozniacki | Tennis | 27 | 9 | 3.1 | 66 |
| England | Wayne Rooney | Soccer | 23 | 7.3 | 24.9 | 26 |
| France | Paul Pogba | Soccer | 9 | 9.8 | 21.1 | 33 |
| Gabon | Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang | Soccer | 34 | 7.1 | 6.5 | 67 |
| Germany | Mesut Ozil | Soccer | 6 | 7 | 31 | 22 |
| India | Virat Kohli | Cricket | 88 | 17.4 | 36.9 | 11 |
| Ireland | Conor McGregor | MMA | 172 | 9 | 22.6 | 18 |
| Japan | Yuzuru Hanyu | Figure Skating | 69 | - | 0 | 70 |
| Kazakhstan | Gennady Golovkin | Boxing | 164 | 0.55 | 2.5 | 61 |
| Mexico | Canelo Alvarez | Boxing | 165 | .40 | 3 | 58 |
| Northern Ireland | Rory McIlroy | Golf | 4 | 35 | 3.2 | 15 |
| Philippines | Manny Pacquiao | Boxing | 70 | 2.5 | 11.4 | 63 |
| Poland | Robert Lewandowski | Soccer | 8 | 4.1 | 12.2 | 87 |
| Portugal | Cristiano Ronaldo | Soccer | 100 | 40 | 121.7 | 1 |
| Romania | Simoa Halep | Tennis | 39 | 8 | 1.4 | 77 |
| Russia | Maria Sharopova | Tennis | 23 | 18 | 14.8 | 21 |
| Scotland | Andy Murray | Tennis | 27 | 9 | 3.7 | 56 |
| Serbia | Novak Djokovic | Tennis | 26 | 30 | 8.3 | 13 |
| South Africa | AB de Villiers | Cricket | 4 | 4.5 | 5.7 | 99 |
| Spain | Rafael Nadal | Tennis | 61 | 33 | 15.5 | 8 |
| Sweden | Zlatan Ibrahimovic | Soccer | 25 | 6.1 | 30.5 | 25 |
| Switzerland | Roger Federer | Tennis | 92 | 40 | 14.6 | 5 |
| Ukraine | Wladimir Klitschko | Boxing | 99 | 4 | 1.9 | 74 |
| Uruguay | Luis Suarez | Soccer | 6 | 7.5 | 26.4 | 35 |
| USA | LeBron James | Basketball | 63 | 55 | 40.8 | 2 |
| Wales | Gareth Bale | Soccer | 10 | 13 | 32.8 | 19 |
The most famous for each sport
Here is the most famous sports people for each sport taken from the top 100 list in 2018.
| Sport | Name | Nationality | Search | Endorse- ments |
Followers | overall rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| American Football | Tom Brady | USA | 160 | 6 | 4.4 | 38 |
| Badminton | Saina Nehwal | India | 1 | 10 | 7.9 | 50 |
| Basketball | LeBron James | USA | 63 | 55 | 40.8 | 2 |
| Boxing | Floyd Mayweather | USA | 196 | 15 | 20.1 | 14 |
| Cricket | Virat Kohli | India | 88 | 17.4 | 36.9 | 11 |
| Figure Skating | Yuzuru Hanyu | Japan | 69 | - | 0 | 70 |
| Formula One | Lewis Hamilton | England | 10 | 7 | 6.3 | 68 |
| Golf | Tiger Woods | USA | 88 | 45 | 6.3 | 6 |
| MMA | Conor McGregor | Ireland | 172 | 9 | 22.6 | 18 |
| Skiing | Lindsey Vonn | USA | 51 | 5 | 1.5 | 95 |
| Snowboarding | Shaun White | USA | 144 | 12 | 2.3 | 32 |
| Soccer | Cristiano Ronaldo | Portugal | 100 | 40 | 121.7 | 1 |
| Swimming | Sun Yang | China | 1 | - | 32 | 17 |
| Table Tennis | Zhang Jike | China | 14 | - | 8 | 78 |
| Tennis | Roger Federer | Switzerland | 92 | 40 | 14.6 | 5 |
References
- The full top 100 list was originally published on the ESPN website
Related Pages
- Discussion about the world's most popular athletes
- about ESPN World Fame 100 and list of winners
- lists of most popular sports
- Highest paid athletes
- Greatest Athletes of All Time
- sporting heroes
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