Yahoo Sport 
Federer earned as much as Ronaldo and Messi combined in 2016 while Tiger Woods banked £36m in sponsorship
Roger Federer’s star might be on the wane but the greatest player in the history of tennis is still the most marketable sportsman on the planet.
The Swiss 17-time Grand Slam winner banked an incredible £49.2m through sponsorship alone in 2016 making him the top brand in the world – the same as both Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo combined.
Real Madrid megastar Ronaldo banked £26.2m and Barcelona legend Messi £23m.
American golfer Phil Mickelseon came in at third on £41m, pipping compatriot Tiger Woods (£36.9m) with American basketball player LeBron James in second. More incredible is the fact Woods spent just about the whole year out injured and has not won a major since his 14th in 2008.
Woods is still a huge draw for sponsors despite the scandal over his private life in 2009 and a long list of injuries that have kept him sidelined for the best part of four years.
[IN PICTURES: THE WORLD’S 30 MOST MARKETABLE SPORTS STARS]
Just as startling is the fact that the only two women in the top 30 – tennis players Serena Williams and Maria Sharapova – both earned £16.4m despite the fact that Sharapova was banned throughout the whole of 2016 for failing a drugs test.
Researchers at the London School of Marketing compiled the Sports Marketing Power List after taking into account sponsorship deals of global athletes during 2016.
Only three British athletes made it into the top 30 – but golfer Rory McIlroy’s cool £28.7m total means he won’t be too bothered at ‘only’ being sixth on the list.
Tennis’ world No1. Andy Murray is there at 22nd – the newly-appointed Knight of the Realm had his best year yet on court and cheered up his bank manager no end by depositing £12.3m in endorsements.
The final Brit – Gareth Bale – is joint 30th but he is hardly struggling to make ends meet. The Real Madrid footballer trousered £9m through various deals.
Indian cricket stars MS Dhoni and Virat Kohli total around £36m between them.
Jacques de Cock, faculty member at London School of Marketing said: “The top 100 athletes earned a total of £2.6bn last year.
“The sponsorship revenues are driven upwards mainly by the competition of major clothing brands.
“The main ones are Nike with 51 stars under contract, Adidas with 12 and Under Armour with 11. The other brands such as Reebok, Puma and New Balance have a handful each.
“Despite Roger Federer’s slow year in terms of success in his sport, his successful endorsement deals show that personal characteristics can also be an important part of long-lasting sponsorships.
“Male athletes still dominate perhaps because they offer advantages to marketers that want to tap into the traditionally hard to reach male consumer market.
“Fans tend to buy sports clothing and equipment based on what the key sportsman wear, which explains why endorsements are such a major part of cricket, tennis and golf.
“Endorsements are such a powerful way for brands to market their products. This is because they increase brand awareness, validate product features, boost brand equity, and reach the difficult 16-30 year old male market.
