The 10 most highly valued sports stars in the world

Sport is a multibillion-pound business, with football often singled out as the most lucrative of them all.

But the top three places in the latest Forbes list of most valuable athlete brands - by earnings from sponsors - have gone to stars of tennis and golf.

1. Tiger Woods, golf (brand value £36m)

2. Roger Federer, tennis (£17m)

3. Phil Mickelson, golf (£16m)

4. David Beckham, football (£13m)

5. LeBron James, basketball (£13m)

6. Kobe Bryant, basketball (£9m)

7. Dale Earnhardt Jr., Nascar racing (£6m)

8. Maria Sharapova, tennis (£6m)

9. Cristiano Ronaldo, football (£5m)

10. Shaun White, snowboarding and skateboarding (£5m)

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