The highest paid athletes? Footballers dominate the rankings

Professional athletes are also paid fabulously for their results. But they also earn money from sponsors. Now we take a look at the top ten highest paid athletes.

It’s probably no surprise that footballers dominate the rankings. Cristiano Ronaldo is at the top of the list, having made a significant pay rise by moving to Saudi Arabia’s All Nassr.

According to Forbes magazine , the Portuguese star earned $136 million last year, which is almost $3 billion in crown terms. Two-thirds of Ronaldo’s income is expected to come from activities outside the football field.

Football is also represented in second place. We find Lionel Messi, whose estimated income is 130 million US dollars. He should receive exactly half of that for his on-field performances.

The question is how the career of the world champion of last year will develop. It is almost certain that we will not see him in a PSG jersey next season. There is talk of a possible return to Barcelona.

Also, the third highest earning sportsman in the last twelve calendar months is a footballer. Kylian Mbappé is also the youngest member of the entire ranking.

The 24-year-old French international earned $120 million, the vast majority of which was for performances. Mbappé has great potential to be the highest paid athlete in the future.

As of the fourth spot, the most popular sport in the world no longer has any representation. Three positions were taken by basketball players (LeBron James, Stephen Curry and Kevin Durant). Two American golfers (Johnson and Mickelson) are also among the ten highest paid athletes.

The ninth position of Roger Federer, who retired from his professional career last year, may come as a surprise. His annual income is 95.1 million dollars.

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