Ranking the 10 richest sportspeople in 2022
Sport has become a multi-billion dollar business and a lucrative career option. Most top sports teams are listed on the stock exchange, while top athletes in individual sports often earn more in endorsements than they do by playing.
Thanks to rapid commercialisation and their global popularity, many sports leagues like football and basketball have lucrative television rights and jersey deals. Thus it's no surprise that athletes of these two sports are some of the top earners in the field. Many players and teams also earn revenue via various social media platforms.
Athletes from individual sports like tennis, golf and boxing also earn big bucks from multiple avenues. However, it's not just athletes, but also team owners, administrators and sports entertainment personnel who have built up fortunes. On that note, here's a look at the ten wealthiest sportspeople in terms of net worth in 2022 (as per Wealthy Gorilla):
Spoiler Alert: Football superstar Cristiano Ronaldo, tennis legend Roger Federer, basketball superstar LeBron James and boxer Floyd Mayweather narrowly fail to make the top ten.
Without further ado, let's get started:
#10 Michael Schumacher (Formula 1 legend) - $600 million
Michael Schumacher is one of the best drivers to have graced a Formula 1 car. The seven-time world champion had a particularly successful stint with Ferrari in the mid-90s and early 2000s.
During his heydays, the 53-year-old reportedly earned $80-100 million per year, including endorsements. Schumacher ($1.21 billion) is one of a handful of athletes with career earnings of over $1 billion (after adjusting for inflation).
He retired from the sport for a second time in 2012. He is currently sponsored by Deutsche Vermogensberatung - a financial services distributor, Mercedes Benz, CS Ranch - a reining facility.
Schumacher suffered a horrific head injury while skiing off-piste in the Swiss Alps in 2013. A year later, he returned from a coma, and is now undergoing a long period of rehabilitation at home.
'Legend' is an understatement.
Michael Schumacher turns 53 ❤️
#F1 #KeepFightingMichael https://t.co/ofJAcNKFJs
His son, Mick, currently races in Formula 1 for American F1 racing team Haas.
#9 Magic Johnson (Basketball legend) - $600 million
Earvin 'Magic' Johnson is one of the greatest players in basketball history. The five-time NBA champion and three-time Finals MVP enjoyed a stellar playing career that spanned more than two decades.
He enjoyed a memorable debut campaign in 1979-80 with the LA Lakers, becoming the first rookie to win the NBA Finals MVP award. Four decades later, he remains the only rookie and the youngest player (20 years) to have accomplished the feat.
Do you believe in Magic? 
🎶 Do you believe in Magic? 🎶
38 years ago today, Magic Johnson started at center in Game 6 of the NBA Finals, played all five positions, and was named Finals MVP — as a rookie. https://t.co/KHUSozLVmC
The 62-year-old later won five more NBA titles as a part-owner of the LA Lakers. He earned around $40 million during his playing days in the 80s and 90s. That amount would swell to ten times today after adjusting for inflation.
Johnson has also enjoyed success post-retirement. His Magic Johnson Enterprises is a very successful conglomerate, which is valued at more than $1 billion. He has also owned several sports teams over the years like the Los Angeles Dodgers Baseball team and the WNBA team Los Angeles Sparks.
#8 Lionel Messi (Football superstar) - $600 million
Lionel Messi is widely regarded as one of the best players to have graced the game of football.
The 34-year-old has scored goals and won big titles galore for club and country during his legendary career. Now at PSG, the seven-time Ballon d'Or winner is one of a handful of players to score over 750 goals for club and country.
With a reported annual wage of $75 million after taxes, he is one of the top on-field earners in the game. Last year, Messi was the second-highest-paid athlete, as per Forbes. The Argentine earned $130 million, with almost $100 million being endorsements. He has endorsement deals with Adidas, Gatorade and Pepsi, among others.
As of 2022, Messi has made $1.14 billion in career earnings, with most of them coming during his 21-year association with Barcelona.
The next billion dollar athlete: Lionel Messi closes in on.forbes.com/6010GmpLA https://t.co/8TIn497HeB
Messi owns two properties in Miami - a condominium worth $5 million, and the entire floor of another building worth $7 million - which also counts towards his net worth. He owns another property in Pedrables, Barcelona, is worth $9 million after refurbishments.
#7 Junior Bridgeman (Former basketball player) - $600 million
Junior Bridgeman had a modest career in the NBA with the Milwaukee Bucks and the LA Lakers, excelling as a sixth man, in the late 70s and 80s. However, the Bucks legend is worth more than half a billion dollars despite on-court earnings of only $350,000.
After retiring in 1987, the 68-year-old delved into business, and made a plethora of smart investments. Bridgeman is the largest franchise owner of Wendy's, owning over 160 restaurants across the USA. He also owns over 120 Chili's restaurants.
into $600 Million - Playmaker HQ #nba #money #financialliteracy homeofplaymakers.com/sports/basketb…How Junior Bridgeman Turned $350K playing basketball 🏀 into $600 Million - Playmaker HQ #nba #money #financialliteracy homeofplaymakers.com/sports/basketb…
He is now the president and CEO of Coca-Cola Heartland Bottling Company, which earns around $650 million in revenue every year.