Indian cricket team captain and arguably the best batsman in the modern era, Virat Kohli has been included in Forbesâ list of âWorldâs Highest-Paid Athletesâ for 2019-2020 and this time around, he has climbed through the ranks, placed at the 66th spot.

2017 FORBES World Ranking : #89
2018 FORBES World Ranking : #83
2019 FORBES World Ranking : #100
2020 FORBES World Ranking : #66

Sole Indian and Only Cricketer to feature Four times in FORBES World Rankings.#KingKohli #ViratKohli pic.twitter.com/yoyk6tqwdb

â King Kohli Telugu FC (@KingkohliTFC) May 30, 2020

This year, Forbes has recorded his annual salary at $2 million and endorsements at $24 million, making his total earnings worth $26 million (approximately Rs 196. 36 Crore).

The number is $1 million more than last year, when the Indian skipper barely made the cut and was ranked 100th on the list with an annual salary of $4 million and endorsements worth $21 million, making his combined earnings worth $25 million.  

@imVkohli at 66 chlo koi toh aaya top 70 me..

â Rajveer_thakur (@rssolanki1644) May 29, 2020

Now, even though a remarkable growth amongst Kohliâs ranks in the list has been seen in the last two years, a major external factor was to be considered at the time of making the list- the ongoing Coronavirus pandemic, which led to numerous athletes taking pay cuts and several major sporting events being cancelled all over the world. 

Leading the list for the very first time since making his professional debut in 1990 is Switzerlandâs Roger Federer who was estimated to have earned $106 million (pre-tax). 

He is also the first tennis star in 30 years to achieve the top spot with a whopping $100 million earning from deals with brands such as Uniqlo, Credit Suisse and Mercedes-Benz.

Roger Federer is the highest-paid athlete for the first time in his career, dethroning Cristiano Ronaldo from the No. 1 spot

The tennis star is only the ninth athlete to rank in the top spot in the last 30 years, per @Forbes pic.twitter.com/O87BvBoBCW

â Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) May 29, 2020

Top 10 ranks holders of the Forbes list of Worldâs Highest-Paid Athletes are: 

1. Roger Federer ($106 million)

2.     Cristiano Ronaldo ($105 million)

3.     Lionel Messi ($104 million)

4.     Neymar Jr. ($95.5 million)

5.     LeBron James ($88.2 million)

6.     Stephen Curry ($74.4 million)

7.     Kevin Durant ($63.9 million)

8.     Tiger Woods ($62.3 million)

9.     Kirk Cousins ($60.5 million)

10.   Carson Wentz ($59.1 million)

According to Forbes, the top 100-athletes have taken a combined hit of $3.6 billion which is 9% below 2019 and the first decline since 2016. This includes a combined drop of $28 million between football megastars Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi, who have shared the top spot of the list three out of the last four years.

Star athletes @RogerFederer, @Cristiano, #LionelMessi, @neymar & @kingjames round out the top 5 on @Forbes' Highest-Paid Athletes List. The 100 athletes on this yearâs ranking earned a combined $3.6 billion over the past year. https://t.co/fdwF1g7EJL

â Forbes Communications (@ForbesPR) May 29, 2020

The fact that Virat Kohli is yet again the only cricketer to be on the list shows exactly how âfamousâ the sport is globally, as compared to India.  

Albeit, India came up with the brilliant money-making machine known as the Indian Premier League (IPL) which skyrocketed the earnings of many international cricketers, when compared to the athletes of sports such as football, basketball and tennis, the result is negligible.

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