In the list of highest-earning athletes of all time, NBA star LeBron James managed to get the better of Lionel Messi, however, he could not surpass Cristiano Ronaldo. The Al-Nassr star came in fifth, with the Los Angeles Lakers man coming in sixth. Paris Saint-Germain forward Messi followed James in the seventh spot.
According to Sportico’s report, Ronaldo has accumulated earnings of $1.58 billion and Messi has $1.48 billion. Meanwhile, James comes exactly in between Ronaldo and Messi with $1.53 billion.
There is no surprise seeing these stars present on the list considering that they are the highest-paid athletes in their respective sports. Ronaldo has recently signed a lucrative contract with Saudi Pro League side Al-Nassr. He is earning upwards of $200 million a year in Saudi Arabia. Add this to his already flourishing business in the name ‘CR7’ and he is close to earning more than $250 million.
Cristiano Ronaldo’s two-year contract with Al Nassr is absolutely NUTS:
💶 €200M/year
💶 €16.67M/month
💶 €3.888M/week
💶 €555,555/day
💶 €23,150/hour
💶 €386/minute
💶 €6.5/secondIt’s the biggest salary in the history of football. 💰 pic.twitter.com/i83gAcIRYN
— 1хBet (@1xBet_Eng) December 31, 2022
James, on the other hand, claimed the no.1 spot on Forbes’ NBA list for the eighth straight year in the 2021/22 season. Including his $41.2 million salary along with his numerous off-the-court earnings, James rakes in more than $110 million a year.
Messi also signed a lucrative deal with PSG when he joined the French champions. However, this is not close to anything Ronaldo earns. The Argentine earns around $43 million a year for his on-field contributions. His off-field earnings take him to a total of around $100 million.
Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi are the only soccer players in the top ten list of highest-paid athletes
The top 10 list of highest-paid athletes is dominated by golfers. There are four golfers in the top 10. The other six consist of two basketball players, two soccer players, a boxer, and a tennis player. No.1 on the list is famed basketball player Michael Jordan. It is reported that he has earned $3.3 billion and around $1.8 billion of it is from the Nike-Jordan partnership.
“The deal was a game-changer for Nike and sports in general,” said Henry Schafer, an executive at the Q Scores Company. “It opened up doors for athletes to generate significant income and brought to life the value of celebrity endorsers. Jordan was a trendsetter.”
The Top 10 highest-paid athletes of all time, according to @Sportico.
For context, Michael Jordan’s Nike income alone ($1.8 billion) would put him #3 on the list. pic.twitter.com/QL8l79wbjh
— Joe Pompliano (@JoePompliano) March 7, 2023
Coming in second on the list is golfer Tiger Woods. He has earned around $2.5 billion and is regarded as one of the greatest golfers of all time. Former golf player Arnold Palmer comes in third on the list with earnings of $1.7 billion followed by another former golfer Jack Nicklaus, who earned $1.63 billion.
Ronaldo is fifth on the list followed by James and Messi. In the eighth spot is boxer Floyd Mayweather with earnings of $1.41 billion. Tennis star Roger Federer occupies the ninth spot with $1.38 billion and tenth on the list is golfer Phil Mickelson with $1.36 billion.
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