Jamaica's Usain Bolt: Seventh most popular athlete in the world

Jamaica’s superstar sprinter Usain Bolt has been placed at seventh on the list of the world’s most popular athletes.

His new rank on ESPN's World Fame 100 List is a jump of eight places from the previous.

The eight-time Olympic gold medalist, who also won 11 World Championship golds, is surrounded by Barcelona’s Brazilian striker Naymar in sixth and Kevin Durant, NBA star, in eighth.

Top of the list is Portugal's Cristiano Ronaldo, after the Real Madrid forward steered his club to a record 11th European Cup as well as leading his country to European Championship triumph in 2016.

Final chapter of career

The ESPN World Fame 100 is a statistical analysis of the planet’s best known sports stars.

Rankings are based on a number of factors, including the yearly Forbes' list of the highest paid athletes, as well as endorsement deals, social media following and Google search popularity.

Bolt, who comes from Sherwood Content, Trelawny, has been a popular figure on the athletics circuit since making his professional debut in 2004.

He currently holds the 100m, 200m and 4 x 100m relay world records, and the Jamaican’s social media follower sits at 30 million.

He is estimated to have brought in US$30 million in endorsements.

Bolt will bring the curtain down on his glittering career later this year at the World Championships, which are being held in London.