10 highest-paid athletes in the world this year (2022)
Forbes has released the list of the 10 highest-paid athletes in the world. Some of the most recognizable names in the world of sports have made it to the list.
Only men feature in Forbes' list of 10 highest-paid athletes
Unsurprisingly, all of the 10 highest-paid athletes in the world are men. Naomi Osaka is the highest-paid female athlete, taking home in excess of $50 million in endorsement deals alone.
Together, the top 10 highest-paid athletes in the world amassed $992 million in the last 12 months.
As per Forbes, the figure has dropped by 6% from 2021. But the dip has happened largely due to the decline in Conor McGregor's income. He had raked in $180 million all by himself by virtue of the proceeds from his whiskey brand - Proper No. Twelve.
McGregor is not one of the top 10 highest-paid athletes in the world in 2022. But let's dive right in and see who all feature in the list.
#10 Giannis Antetokounmpo - $80.9 million
Giannis Antetokounmpo is the youngest athlete on the list. The 27-year-old is a two-time MVP and signed a whopping five-year contract worth $228 million with the Milwaukee Bucks last December. That is the largest contract in terms of value in the history of the NBA.
Antetokounmpo has been making moves in the digital space as well, signing a licensing deal with NFTSTAR. He has also signed endorsement deals with Whatsapp and Google Pixel 6 phone.
#9 Tom Brady - $83.9 million
Tom Brady stayed retired for about six weeks before deciding to circle back into the game. He enjoyed a wonderful season in 2021 at the age of 43 with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. When he eventually does retire, he will join Fox Sports as a commentator by virtue of a very lucrative deal.
Brady signed a content deal with Skydance Sports via his production company, Religion of Sports, earlier this year. He also started a new clothing line called BRADY and is producing a road-trip movie title '80 for Brady'.
He also cofounded the NFT platform Autograph last year which amassed $170 million in a Series B funding round.
#8 Canelo Alvarez - $90 million
Canelo Alvarez is arguably the biggest superstar in professional boxing right now. He raked in $40 million from his two pay-per-view wins in last May and November. Alvarez is the proud owner of a taco restaurant in Mexico and is also planning to launch gas stations.
Canelo Promotions is set to take off as well with the stable looking to put together a number of fights in Mexico. He has signed partnership deals with Matchroom Boxing and DAZN for the same. Alvarez also has a lucrative deal with Hennessy.
#7 Roger Federer - $90.7 million
Roger Federer has featured in just six tournaments over the past couple of years due to injuries. He is yet to make his return to the court but has still managed to rake in close to $100 million despite being away from action.
Endorsement deals with brands like Uniqlo and Rolex have gone a long way towards making the tennis legend one of the most paid sportspersons in the world. Federer is now an investor in 'On', the Swiss shoe brand. The company has now gone public and has raised in excess of $600 million.
#6 Kevin Durant - $92.1 million
Kevin Durant has the second-most lucrative sneaker deal in the world right now. He takes home $28 million from Nike and has deals with NBA Top Shot, Weedmaps and Coinbase.
The Brooklyn Nets star has invested in NFT platform Open Sea. He has also poured money into Future, a digital fitness venture.
#5 Stephen Curry - $92.8 million
Stephen Curry is the highest-paid NBA player this year in terms of salary. He put pen to paper on a new four-year deal with the Golden State Warriors worth $215 million last August.
He also landed an endorsement deal with crypto platform FTX. The deal had an equity stake attached to it. Unanimous Media, the production company owned by Curry, now has a development deal with Comcast NBCUniversal as well.
#4 Neymar Jr. - $95 million
Neymar Jr. missed much of the 2021-22 season due to injuries. The Brazil international also invoked the wrath of the Paris Saint-Germain faithful as they crashed out of the Champions League in the Round of 16.
But he has since turned in some impressive performances for his side and has picked up another Ligue 1 title. He continues to be one of the most recognizable and marketable footballers in the world.
Neymar has lucrative endorsement deals with Puma and Red Bull and the 2022 Netflix docuseries 'Neymar: The Perfect Chaos' was based on his footballing career. He has also delved into the NFT space and has put pen to paper on a deal with NFTSTAR.
#3 Cristiano Ronaldo - $115 million
Cristiano Ronaldo made a return to his former club Manchester United last summer amid huge fanfare. Even though the Portuguese talisman is going strong at the age of 37, the Red Devils have endured an utterly forgettable season.
Ronaldo is the most followed individual on Instagram. His social media presence goes a long way towards making him one of the highest paid athletes in the world. Ronaldo has extremely profitable endorsement deals with the likes of Nike, Herbalife and Clear Shampoo.
Ronaldo has also poured money into Talel restaurants, which has now opened up a new outlet in Beverly Hills.
#2 LeBron James - $121.2 million
LeBron James failed to make it to the playoffs this term. But his clout away from the court continues to grow. James featured in 2021's Space Jam: A New Legacy and has transferred his talk show 'The Shop' to YouTube from HBO.
He has plowed some money into SpringHill, which produced both of those projects. He also sold a minority stake in the company worth $725 million in October 2021.
James signed an endorsement deal with Crypto.com earlier this year and has also sunk money into home gym company Tonal and sports tech startup StatusPRO.
LeBron James Is Second on Forbes' Top 10 Highest Paid Athletes List, Populated Only by Men people.com/sports/lebron-…
#1 Lionel Messi - $130 million
Lionel Messi won a record seventh Ballon d'Or in 2021. Despite having had a rather underwhelming season on the pitch by his own lofty standards, Messi has been as successful as ever away from it.
He has endorsement deals with the likes of Adidas, Budweiser, PepsiCo and Socios. Messi was made a brand ambassador for Hard Rock International in June last year, thereby becoming the first athlete to hold that distinction.
The deal helped him get level with his eternal rival Cristiano Ronaldo in terms of off-field income.
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