Each year, Forbes Magazine names the world’s highest earning athletes, an elite group made up of the wealthiest men and women across every major sport. The number one spot has previously been dominated by the likes of Floyd Mayweather and Tiger Woods, but this year, a new face has emerged as the world’s top-earning athlete.
On top of Forbes’ list this year is Real Madrid’s Cristiano Ronaldo. The Portuguese soccer star raked in $88 million over the past twelve months. Between the contract he has with his team, his huge deals with Nike, Tag Heuer, and Herbalife, and his own men’s clothing and cologne lines, it’s no wonder he’s sitting pretty at the top.
Joining him on the list at number 2 is another international soccer superstar, Lionel Messi. The 28-year-old Argentine player made $81.4 million over the last year. Similar to Ronaldo, Messi has sponsorships and endorsements with huge companies, including Adidas, PepsiCo and Gillette, on top of his contract with Barcelona. Add all of it together and it puts him right behind his Real Madrid rival on Forbes’ list.
NBA star LeBron James comes in at number 3, earning $77.2 million over the past twelve months. The Cavaliers forward made some extra money this year when he made his big acting debut in the comedy Trainwreck. Additionally, he recently signed a lifetime contract with Nike worth over $1 billion, so it won’t be surprising if he takes over the top spot in the coming years.
See who else made the list this year:
4. Roger Federer – $67.8 million
5. Kevin Durant – $56.2 million
6. Novak Djokovic – $55.8 million
7. Cam Newton – $53.1 million
8. Phil Mickelson – $52.9 million
9. Jordan Spieth – $52.8 million
10. Kobe Bryant – $50 million
11. Lewis Hamilton – $46 million
12. Tiger Woods – $45.3 million
13. Eli Manning – $45 million
14. Joe Flacco – $44.5 million
15. Tom Brady – $44.1 million
16. Floyd Mayweather – $44 million
17. Rory McIlroy – $42.6 million
18. Russell Wilson – $41.8 million
19. Sebastian Vettel – $41 million
20. Philip Rivers – $38 million
21. Rafael Nadal – $37.5 million
22. Neymar – $37.5 million
23. Zlatan Ibrahimovic – $37.4 million
24. Fernando Alonso – $36.5 million
25. Gareth Bale – $35.9 million
Now that’s baller!
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