Barcelona forward Lionel Messi drops out of Forbes top 10 most valuable athletes

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Barcelona forward Lionel Messi is no longer among the top 10 most valuable athletes in the world, according to American finance publication Forbes.

Messi previously occupied ninth position in 2014 with an estimated worth of $12 million - a drop of one million from the previous year - but does not feature at all in the athletes' top 10 for 2015.

Rory McIlroy and Floyd Mayweather Jr instead enter the top 10 with the undefeated boxing champion having signed several lucrative endorsements before his July fight with Manny Pacquiao.

Madrid star Cristiano Ronaldo, who was seventh a year ago, has also suffered a drop in the rankings and has now moved down to eighth despite releasing a new clothing range.

La Liga rivals Real Madrid and Barcelona had occupied second and third spot in 2014 but have slipped to fifth and seventh respectively, with Manchester United and Bayern Munich also making the top 10.