Daily Mirror (Northern Ireland)
Messi & Ron top rich list
SO MUCH for the pandemic denting the pay packets of sporting royalty.
If the results of Forbes’ latest athletic rich list are anything to go by, business is booming, with the world’s top 10 commanding almost one billion dollars in salary and endorsements.
And, despite both being in the twilight years of their careers, Lionel Messi (above) and Cristiano Ronaldo are in the top three, with a combined financial haul of £199.1m ($235m).
One common factor in the list is age. Nine of the 10 are 30 or older and two of them – Tom Brady and Roger Federer – are in their 40s, but still commanding huge money.
The Forbes’ list of The World’s 10 Highest Paid Athletes shows that, collectively, they earned £806.5m ($992m) over the last 12 months.
This year’s collective total is the third-highest ever – behind 2021’s £853.7m ($1.05billion) and the £861.8m ($1.06bn) total of 2018.
This year represents a six percent drop from 2021, but that is directly related to Conor Mcgregor’s huge £146.3m ($180m) total last year, after he pocketed an estimated £121.9m ($150m) from the sale of his Irish whiskey brand, Proper No. Twelve.
And Mcgregor also skewed the figures in 2018 with his megabucks fight against Floyd Mayweather.
At 44, Brady seems to have limitless earning potential, with his Tampa Bay side still considered Super Bowl contenders. But perhaps the most eye-watering figure is Federer’s.
He barely played much tennis, winning, by his standards, a paltry £569,000 ($700,000), but topped it up with a huge £73.2m ($90m) from
endorsements.
1. Lionel Messi
(football)
On field $75m (£60.9m)
Off field $55m (£44.7m)
Total $130m (£105.6m)
2. Lebron James
(basketball)
On field $41.2m (£33.5m)
Off field $80m (£65m)
Total $121.2m (£98.5m)
3. Cristiano Ronaldo
(football)
On field $60m (£48.8m)
Off field $55m (£44.7m)
Total $115m (£93.5m)
4. Neymar
(football)
On field $70m (£56.9m)
Off field $25m (£20.3m) Total $95m (£77.2m)
5. Stephen Curry
(basketball)
On field $45.8m (£37.2m)
Off field $47m (£38.2m) Total $92.8m (£75.4m)
6. Kevin Durant (basketball)
On field $42.1m (£34.2m)
Off field $50m (£40.6m)
Total $92.1m (£74.8m)
7. Roger Federer (tennis)
On field $0.7m (£0.5m)
Off field $90m (£73.2m)
Total $90.7m (£73.7m)
8. Saul Canelo Alvarez (boxing)
On field $85m (£69.1m)
Off field $5m (£4.1m) Total $90m (£73.2m)
9. Tom Brady (American football)
On field $31.9m (£25.9m)
Off field $52m (£42.3m)
Total $83.9m (£68.2m)
10. Giannis Antetekounmpo (basketball)
On field $39.9m (£32.4m)
Off field $41m (£33.3m)
Total $80.9m (£65.7m)