Forbes has released its most recent list of top 100 highest-paid athletes in the world. Male athletes completely dominated the top 100 list, with only three women making the cut.
Professional athletes from various sports fields are named including 27 baseball players, 18 basketball players, 17 football players, 15 soccer players, six tennis players, six racers, five golfers, four boxers, one cricketer, and one track and field athlete.
Floyd Mayweather Jr. is ranked first on the list. LeBron James and Kobe Bryant made it to the top five. Gareth Bale is the leading British athlete. Maria Sharapova is the highest-paid female athlete on the list at the 34th spot, while fellow tennis players Li Na and Serena Williams are positioned at the 41st place and 55th place, respectively.
Indian cricketer Mahendra Singh Dhoni is the only athlete from his sport discipline. Jamaican sprinter Usain Bolt is also the sole athlete from the sport of athletics. Here, we round up the top 10 richest sports stars. For the complete list, visit Forbes.com.
Mickelson earned $53.2 million, 75 percent of it came from endorsement deals with Callaway, Barclay’s, Exxon Mobil, Rolex, and Pfizer. He earned $5.2 million from tournaments’ prize money.REUTERSWoods sits at the sixth place with $61.2 million earnings. A large portion of his earnings came from endorsements. He made $55 million just from his sponsors alone. In 2000, Woods has signed a five-year contract extension with Nike worth $ 105 million.REUTERSBarca superstar Messi is the second highest-paid soccer star on Forbes’ Top 100 list at fourth place with earnings equivalent to $64.7 million. Messi endorses Adidas and Turkish Airlines. He earned $23 million from his endorsements.REUTERS/Kai PfaffenbachMayweather, who loves to brag about his riches on social media, is named the highest-paid athlete in the world. Even without endorsements, the unbeaten boxer managed to earn as much as $105 million. He is the only athlete, besides Tiger Woods, to hit the $100 million bracket. Mayweather’s revenue from his bouts against Canelo Alvarez amounting to $200 million and Marcos Maidana (with a guaranteed $32 million purse in May) was enough for him to secure the first place on the list.Reuters/Las Vegas SunReal Madrid superstar Ronaldo is the highest-paid soccer player at the second place with total earnings worth $80 million, $52 million of which came from his salary and prize money. Ronaldo was signed by Real Madrid for a five-year contract worth more than $200 million. In addition to his wages, Ronaldo has earned $28 million from his endorsement deals with Tag Heuer and Nike. The 29-year-old Portuguese footballer isn’t only dominating the field and commercial sponsorships, he is also successful with his other side hustles. Ronaldo’s underwear clothing line called CR7 just celebrated his first year anniversary since its launch in November 2013.REUTERS/Eric GaillardBryant is at the fifth spot with $61.5 million earnings. He signed a two-year contract with the Los Angeles Lakers worth $48.5 million in November 2013. Bryant also has sponsor deals with Nike, Lenovo, Turkish Airlines, Hublot, and Panini.Reuters/Jayne Kamin-Oncea-USANadal, who recently underwent laparoscopic appendectomy, is at the ninth place with $44.5 million. In the 2014 season, Nadal has won four titles and took home more than $6 million prize money. In June, he won his ninth French Open title. Nadal has current deals with Nike, Babolat, Mapfre, Kia Motors, Poker Stars, Mueller, and more.ReutersThe 17-time Grand Slam champion Roger Federer is the highest-paid tennis athlete inside the top ten with $56.2 million. He received $52 million from his endorsements with Nike, Rolex, Lindt chocolate, Credit Suisse, Moet & Chandon, Gillette, and more. According to Forbes, Federer gets paid $40 million by his sponsors every year.REUTERSCleveland Cavaliers forward LeBron James (23) is defended by Chicago Bulls center Joakim Noah (13) during the second half at the United Center. Cleveland won 114-108 in overtime. ReutersRyan, who currently plays for the Atlanta Falcons of the National Football League, earned $43.8 million. He is the only football player inside the top 10. In 2013, Ryan signed a five-year contract with the Falcons worth $103.75 million. Ryan also received a $28 million signing bonus. Ryan’s endorsement portfolio includes partnership with Nike, Comcast, and Liquid Nutrition.REUTERS
