Forbes released the list headed by Cristiano Ronaldo thanks to the money the Middle East has been pouring in lately.
Saudi Arabia’s emergence in the market was a key factor in the latest Forbes ranking of the top ten athletes of the year. The Middle Eastern country has tried to strengthen its skills not only in football, as it did with the incorporation of Cristiano Ronaldo, but also with the development of LIV Golf, where Joaquín Niemann and Mito Pereira face off. .
According to the magazine, in total, the ten highest-paid athletes have earned some $1,110 million before taxes and agent fees over the past 12 months. That’s 12% more than last year’s 990 million and 5% more than the record 1.06 billion set in 2018.
1.- Cristiano Ronaldo – 136 million dollars
The Portuguese striker is the dominant one on this list. The current Al Nassr striker in Saudi Arabia receives $46 million for his work on the pitch and another $90 million for publicity and investment.
The latter take advantage of the large number of followers that the Portuguese has on social networks to bet on him. To date, he has nearly 850 million followers on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.
2.- Lionel Messi – 130 million dollars
In second place on the list is the Argentinian, a recent Qatar Cup 2022 world champion. His earnings break down into $65m on the pitch and the same amount for non-sporting concepts.
His mentions include Adidas, Budweiser and PepsiCo. Additionally, in October last year, he launched an investment company called Play Time.
3.- Kylian Mbappé – 120 million dollars
The closing of the Forbes 2023 list podium is closed by another footballer. French striker Kylian Mbappé with $120 million makes his debut in the top 10 of the rankings after appearing in 35th place on the money list last year.
During the month of June, he became the ambassador of Sorare, a fantasy game based on cryptocurrencies.
4.- LeBron James – $119.5 million
Basketball comes in fourth place thanks to LeBron James. The Los Angeles Lakers forward adds a series of investments that bring him money alongside his sports career. He is the founder of sports nutrition company Ladder and the SpringHill Company, which develops and produces television and entertainment content.
He also has a stake in Fenway Sports Group, the company that owns the Boston Red Sox, Liverpool and Pittsburgh Penguins.
5.- Saúl “Canelo” Álvarez – 110 million dollars
The boxer takes advantage of each fight to raise tens of millions of dollars to get into the ring. But on top of that, he managed to find space to invest. In September, he signed a contract with Excel Sports Management. Additionally, he is behind sports drink maker Yaoca, fitness app I Can, and gas station chain Canelo Energy.
6.- Dustin Johnson – $107 million
The 38-year-old golfer was the first star to move from the PGA Tour to LIV Golf, a competition funded by Saudi Arabia. Although this change meant losing some of his sponsors, the large financial contribution of the new competition installed him among the ten highest paid athletes in the world.
7.- Phil Mickelson – 106 million dollars
The American, who topped $1 billion in pre-tax profits last year, has stopped receiving sponsorship contributions since joining LIV Golf but has managed to make the investments sustainable.
At the Augusta Masters, he finished second and grabbed $1.6 million.
8.- Stephen Curry – $100.4 million
The Golden State Warriors goaltender is recording his first year topping $100 million with a season-high salary of $48.1 million in U.S. currency. In March, he signed a long-term contract with Under Armor that will run until his retirement from basketball.
It has also recently invested in virtual reality platform Golf+ and in TMRW Sports, the startup founded by Tiger Woods and Rory McIlroy that aims to create a technology-based golf league.
9.- Roger Federer – $95.1 million
Although he retired from tennis after competing with Rafael Nadal in the Laver Cup, he is among the top 10 paid. A few days ago, he announced a licensing agreement for his RF brand with eyewear manufacturer Oliver Peoples and a stake in Swiss footwear company On.
10.- Kevin Durant – $89.1 million
Closing the list is Kevin Durant. The basketball player, who joined the Phoenix Suns in February, is adding a series of investments including stakes in the Premier Lacrosse League, nutrition brand Happy Viking, League One Volleyball, women’s sports league network Athletes Unlimited and to the sports software startup ScorePlay. and Tiger Woods’ TMRW Sports.
Track to El Deportivo
Source: Latercera
I am David Jack and I have been working in the news industry for over 10 years. As an experienced journalist, I specialize in covering sports news with a focus on golf. My articles have been published by some of the most respected publications in the world including The New York Times and Sports Illustrated.
