Top-10 Highest-Paid Athletes: Forbes published its annual list of the world’s Top-10 highest-paid athletes. The list includes boxers, NFL stars, footballers, tennis stars, and NBA players. Both on-field and off-field earnings are included in the list. Follow sports NEWS and LIVE Updates with InsideSport.IN
Top-10 Highest Paid Athletes: Lionel Messi on top, followed by LeBron James & Cristiano Ronaldo, Check the TOP 10 LIST, Check Annual earning of each of the top athlete of the world
According to Forbes, the top 10 highest-paid athletes in the world collected $992 million this year, the third-highest total in history. All prize money, salary, and bonuses earned between May 1, 2021, and May 1, 2022 are included in Forbes’ on-field earnings calculations.
The top-10 athletes earned an estimated $500 million in sponsorships, appearances, memorabilia, and licensing fees, as well as income returns from businesses they own and stock investments they sold, off the field. Last year’s record $512 million was nearly equaled this year.
Top-10 Highest Paid Athletes: Lionel Messi on top, followed by LeBron James & Cristiano Ronaldo, Check the TOP 10 LIST, Check Annual earning of each of the top athlete of the world
Let’s take a look at the list of Forbes’ Top 10 highest-paid athletes in the last 12 months
#10: GIANNIS ANTETOKOUNMPO- $80.9 million (On-field: $39.9 million, Off-field: $41 million)
The only player in this year’s top ten who is still in his twenties is Giannis Antetokounmpo. In December 2020, the two-time MVP of the Milwaukee Bucks signed a five-year, $228 million contract, the NBA’s highest contract by total value to date. He was one of the investors in WatchBox, a timepiece reselling platform that raised $165 million in November.
He’s also struck a licensing arrangement with NFT platform NFTSTAR and added WhatsApp and Google’s Pixel 6 phone to his endorsement list. And in June, Antetokounmpo’s life story will be told in the film Rise, which will be available on Disney+.
#9: Tom Brady- $83.9 million (On-field: $31.9 million, Off-field: $52 million)
Tom Brady’s retirement lasted less than six weeks this offseason, which was good news for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers after he had a fantastic 2021 season at the age of 43. Off the field, he’s undoubtedly picking up new skills. Religion of Sports, the production company he cofounded with Pro Football Hall of Famer Michael Strahan and filmmaker Gotham Chopra, announced a content deal with Skydance Sports in March, and Autograph, the NFT platform Brady cofounded last year, raised $170 million in a Series B funding round announced in January.
Meanwhile, Brady’s second production firm, 199 Productions, is working on the upcoming road-trip film 80, and he has a new clothing brand called BRADY. When it comes time for Brady to retire from football for good, he already has a lucrative job lined up with Fox Sports as a commentator. According to the New York Post, the deal will pay him more than he has made on the field in 22 NFL seasons—$375 million spread out over ten years.
#8: Canelo Alvarez- $90 million (On-field: $85 million, Off-field: $5 million)
Canelo Alvarez is boxing’s main appeal, with two pay-per-view triumphs in May and November netting him $40 million or more. (His May 7, 2022 loss against light-heavyweight champion Dmitry Bivol was outside Forbes’ tracking window for this ranking.) Aside from the ring, Alvarez has a lucrative contract with Hennessy and owns a taco business in Mexico that he hopes to expand to California.
Alvarez announced last year that he will open a gas station network, and his Canelo Promotions is organising a series of fights in Mexico in collaboration with Matchroom Boxing and DAZN.
Top-10 Highest Paid Athletes: Lionel Messi on top, followed by LeBron James & Cristiano Ronaldo, Check the TOP 10 LIST, Check Annual earning of each of the top athlete of the world
#7: Roger Federer- $90.7 million (On-field: $ 0.7 million, Off-field: $90 million)
Roger Federer was only able to compete in six tournaments in 2020 and 2021 due to injuries, and he is yet to return to the tennis court in 2022. Regardless, the world’s former No. 1 player is still the top sports pitchman, pushing businesses like Uniqlo and Rolex.
In 2019, he also invested in the booming Swiss shoe manufacturer On, which went public in September and raised over $600 million. Federer told Forbes at the time, “We work very closely together on product design,” after spending 20 days in the lab with the On team building the company’s pro tennis shoe.
#6: Kevin Durant- $92.1 million (On-field: $42.1 million, Off-field: $50 million)
Brooklyn Nets star earns around $28 million per year from Nike, second only to LeBron James’ ($32 million) among active players. With media company Boardroom and investment firm Thirty Five Ventures, he has lately added contracts with Coinbase, NBA Top Shot, and Weedmaps, but his business empire goes far beyond endorsements.
His most recent investments include NFT platform OpenSea and digital fitness business Future, as well as SeatGeek’s SPAC merger. Last year, Durant and his longtime business partner, Rich Kleiman, announced the formation of their own SPAC, which is still looking for a buyer.
#5: Stephen Curry- $92.8 million (On-field: $45.8 million, Off-field: $47 million)
Stephen Curry, the Golden State Warriors guard, earned the highest salary in the NBA this season, and he is due for a raise after signing a four-year, $215 million agreement last August. On the court, he’ll earn around $48 million next season, increasing to just under $60 million in 2025-26.
Curry’s new FTX sponsorship contract included an equity investment, and in December, he delved deeper into blockchain by issuing a set of NFTs featuring his sneakers and linked to three metaverse platforms. (He promised to contribute the money.) In September, Unanimous Media, Curry’s production firm, secured a development partnership with Comcast NBCUniversal.
Top-10 Highest Paid Athletes: Lionel Messi on top, followed by LeBron James & Cristiano Ronaldo, Check the TOP 10 LIST, Check Annual earning of each of the top athlete of the world
#4: Neymar- $95million (On-field: $70 million, Off-field: $25 million)
In November, Neymar scored his 400th career goal, but he, like Lionel Messi, was wounded by criticism following PSG’s early Champions League loss. His focus will now turn to the World Cup in Qatar this fall, which he has stated may be his final appearance.
He enjoys a slew of endorsements off the field, including Puma and Red Bull, and is the focus of a new Netflix docuseries called Neymar: The Perfect Chaos. He’s also getting into NFTs, having signed up with the platform NFTSTAR in November and spending almost $1 million in one day on two Bored Ape Yacht Club NFTs in January.
#3: Cristiano Ronaldo- $115 million (On-field: $60 million, Off-field: $55 million)
Cristiano Ronaldo has had a dismal season with Manchester United, who are currently in sixth place in the Premier League table with one game remaining. Rumors are circulating that Ronaldo, who previously played for Manchester United from 2003 to 2009, could be on the move again this summer.
Ronaldo’s earning prowess stems in part from his large social media following: he has 690 million Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter followers, allowing him to command exorbitant fees from sponsors like Nike, Herbalife, and Clear shampoo. He’s also a Tatel restaurant investor, with a new site in Beverly Hills, and the face of ZujuGP, a new app that aims to be a digital soccer community.
#2: LeBron James- $121.2 million (On-field: $41.2 million, Off-field: $80 million)
The Los Angeles Lakers didn’t make the playoffs this season, but LeBron James has never been more dominant off the court.He starred in last year’s Space Jam: A New Legacy and recently moved his talk show, The Shop, from HBO to YouTube. According to Forbes, he sold a large minority stake in SpringHill, the production firm behind both projects, in October for $725 million, bringing his net worth to $850 million.
James starred in a Super Bowl commercial alongside a computer-generated version of his younger self after establishing an endorsement arrangement with Crypto.com in January. He’s also invested in Tonal, a home gym company, and StatusPRO, a sports tech company that makes virtual reality training equipment.
Top-10 Highest Paid Athletes: Lionel Messi on top, followed by LeBron James & Cristiano Ronaldo, Check the TOP 10 LIST, Check Annual earning of each of the top athlete of the world
#1: Lionel Messi- $130 million (On-field: $75 million, Off-field: $55 million)
Lionel Messi’s $20 million-per-year endorsement deal with Socios joins Adidas, Budweiser, and PepsiCo in his endorsement portfolio. In an agreement announced in June, he also became Hard Rock International’s first athlete brand ambassador, allowing Messi to catch up to Manchester United’s Cristiano Ronaldo in terms of off-field earnings for the first time since 2013.
Messi won the Ballon d’Or as the best men’s soccer player in the world in 2021, but he has struggled on the pitch recently, scoring just nine goals in 32 appearances for Paris Saint-Germain after scoring 38 in 47 games for Barcelona in his final season. Despite exiting the Champions League in the Round of 16, PSG won the French Ligue 1 title in Messi’s debut season.
Top-10 Highest Paid Athletes: Lionel Messi on top, followed by LeBron James & Cristiano Ronaldo, Check the TOP 10 LIST, Check Annual earning of each of the top athlete of the world; Follow sports NEWS and LIVE Updates with InsideSport.IN
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