Every year, Forbes releases a list of the highest paid sportsmen in the world and this year 3 of the Top 5 names are football players.
At the top of the list is one of the greatest footballers of all time, PSG’s Argentine playmaker, Lionel Messi. Of all sportsmen in the world, Lionel Messi earned the most in the last 12 months with $133 million pre-tax income. This is the second time in his career that he has led this list.
Basketball royalty and Los Angeles Lakers star, LeBron James comes in right behind Messi earning $121.2 million. This bests his own personal record and also makes him the first NBA player to earn over $100 million in a year. Forbes now puts King James’s net worth at a whopping $850 million.
Third on the list is Manchester United’s Cristiano Ronaldo with $115 million in pre-tax earnings in the last 12 months.
The rest of the top 10 includes
- PSG and Brazil forward, Neymar with $95 million
- Golden State Warriors superstar, Stephen Curry with $92.8 million
- Brooklyn Nets star, Kevin Durant with $92.1 million
- Tennis superstar, Roger Federer with $90.7 million
- Boxer, Canelo Alvarez with $90 million
- American Football icon and Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarter-back, Tom Brady with $83.9 million
- Milwuakee Bucks Greek superstar, Giannis Antetokounmpo with $80.9 million
The top ten for 2022 earned $992 million, a 6% decrease compared to 2021. This year’s total is the third-highest ever, behind 2021’s $1.05 billion and the $1.06 billion total of 2018.
Forbes calculates the estimates based on prize money, salaries and bonuses as well as estimations of sponsorship deals and other off-field revenue streams.
