Cristiano Ronaldo, Lionel Messi and David Beckham are among the highest-paid athletes of all time in a list alongside other sporting greats.
The world’s 25 highest-paid athletes have been revealed.
Basketball legend Michael Jordan tops the list with estimated inflation-adjusted career earnings of $2.62 billion. Golf icons Tiger Woods ($2.1B), Arnold Palmer ($1.5B), and Jack Nicklaus ($1.38B) complete the top four.
As for the highest-paid non-American athlete, that honor goes to Cristiano Ronaldo – who is fifth on the overall list. The Portuguese’s estimated career earnings are $1.24 billion. Aside from a sweet salary at Manchester United, he has many commercial deals with the likes of Nike and Herbalife to boost his income. His strong social media following has helped increase his earnings to $1.24 billion.
Ronaldo’s nearest rival for this title is Lionel Messi. The PSG star is eighth on the overall list with career earnings of $1.14 billion. Former Manchester United and Real Madrid midfielder David Beckham joins the iconic duo in this list in 12th place with an estimated income of $1.05 billion.
The 25 highest-paid athletes
- IAE = Inflation-Adjusted Earnings
- NIAE = Non-Inflation Adjusted Earnings
| # | Athlete | Nation | Sport | IAE | NIAE |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | Michael Jordan | 🇺🇸 | Basketball | $2.62B | $2.05B |
| 2. | Tiger Woods | 🇺🇸 | Golf | $2.1B | $1.66B |
| 3. | Arnold Palmer | 🇺🇸 | Golf | $1.5B | $885M |
| 4. | Jack Nicklaus | 🇺🇸 | Golf | $1.38B | $830M |
| 5. | Cristiano Ronaldo | 🇵🇹 | Football | $1.24B | $1.12B |
| 6. | Floyd Mayweather | 🇺🇸 | Boxing | $1.2B | $1.08B |
| 7. | LeBron James | 🇺🇸 | Basketball | $1.17B | $1.05B |
| 8. | Lionel Messi | 🇦🇷 | Football | $1.14B | $1.05B |
| 9. | Michael Schumacher | 🇩🇪 | Motorsport | $1.13B | $780M |
| 10. | Roger Federer | 🇨🇭 | Tennis | $1.12B | $1B |
| 11. | Phil Mickelson | 🇺🇸 | Golf | $1.08B | $885M |
| 12. | David Beckham | 🇬🇧 | Football | $1.05B | $880M |
| 13. | Kobe Bryant | 🇺🇸 | Basketball | $930M | $750M |
| 14. | Shaquille O’Neal | 🇺🇸 | Basketball | $870M | $645M |
| 15. | Greg Norman | 🇦🇺 | Golf | $815M | $555M |
| 16. | Mike Tyson | 🇺🇸 | Boxing | $775M | $445M |
| 17. | Alex Rodriguez | 🇺🇸 | Baseball | $650M | $515M |
| 18. | Manny Pacquiao | 🇵🇭 | Boxing | $630M | $550M |
| 19. | Kevin Durant | 🇺🇸 | Basketball | $625M | $580M |
| 20. | Lewis Hamilton | 🇬🇧 | Motorsport | $620M | $560M |
| 21. | Neymar | 🇧🇷 | Football | $615M | $580M |
| 22. | Jeff Gordon | 🇺🇸 | Motorsport | $595M | $450M |
| 23. | Oscar de la Hoya | 🇺🇸 | Boxing | $580M | $405M |
| 24. | Peyton Manning | 🇺🇸 | American Football | $570M | $460M |
| 25. | Derek Jeter | 🇺🇸 | Baseball | $555M | $435M |
How was this list made?
Sportrico made this list of highest-paid athletes. The business sports website estimated each athlete’s career earnings after doing the following actions:
- Having conversations with industry insiders.
- Viewing historical estimates from other media outlets.
- Assessing career earnings (salaries, prize money, purses, bonuses, endorsements, etc).
- Researching equity stakes in sponsor companies.
The earnings were adjusted for inflation during each athlete’s career and retirement and were calculated until the time of death for golf icon Arnold Palmer and NBA legend Kobe Bryant.
For details about the highest-paid football players in the world, check out the link here.
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