Tom Brady is a god in New England and arguably the biggest name among active NFL players. But in terms of worldwide appeal, the Patriots quarterback doesn’t even rank among the top 20 most famous athletes, according to a list published Tuesday on ESPN.com.
Brady checked in at No. 21 in ESPN’s second annual “World Fame 100,” which used “a formula that combines social media following and Internet search popularity” to rank the world’s most popular athletes.
The rankings noted Brady’s $8 million in endorsements, 4.3 million Facebook followers and 2 million Instagram followers, but his lack of a Twitter account likely hurt his standing. Still, it was a sizable leap up the charts for the 39-year-old QB, who ranked 52nd in 2016.
Who ranked higher than Brady? Five tennis players, four soccer players, four golfers, three basketball players, two cricket players, one track star and one MMA fighter. Here’s the full top 20:
1. Cristiano Ronaldo
2. LeBron James
3. Lionel Messi
4. Roger Federer
5. Phil Mickelson
6. Neymar
7. Usain Bolt
8. Kevin Durant
9. Rafael Nadal
10. Tiger Woods
11. Stephen Curry
12. Novak Djokovic
13. Virat Kohli
14. Rory McIlroy
15. Mahendra Singh Dhoni
16. Ronda Rousey
17. Jordan Spieth
18. Kaka
19. Serena Williams
20. Kei Nishikori
Brady was by far the highest-ranked NFL player on the list. Carolina Panthers quarterback Cam Newton (No. 47) was the only other to crack the top 50.
Thumbnail photo via Matthew Emmons/USA TODAY Sports Images
