Highest Paid Athlete: Being a player is one of the best-paid jobs, which might not be a big surprise. Athletes can make a lot of money by negotiating for the best contract, signing deals with brands, and making public performances.
Forbes magazine has put out a list of the 10 highest-paid players in the world. The list shows how much money each star makes from their teams and from other sources. This year’s list is heavily affected by Saudi Arabia, which started the LIV Golf Tour and paid star players a lot of money to leave the PGA. The Saudi soccer team Al Nassr did the same thing when they signed Cristiano Ronaldo to a huge contract. Here are the top 10 right now.
1. Cristiano Ronaldo: $136 million
Cristiano Ronaldo, a Portuguese soccer player, makes a huge $136 million every year, making him the highest-paid athlete in the world. Ronaldo left Manchester United after his pay was doubled to $75 million and went to play for Al Nassr in Saudi Arabia in January. Forbes says that the star makes about $90 million from his cleats thanks to his 850 million fans across all platforms and his new sponsorship deal with Binance, a cryptocurrency exchange. With $136 million, he is the most well-paid soccer player ever.
2. Lionel Messi: $130 million
Even though he hasn’t decided on a team for the future (rumors say he might join Ronaldo in Saudi Arabia), the Paris-Germain player is doing well, making $65 million on and off the field. He works with some of the biggest companies in the world, like PepsiCo, Adidas, and Budweiser. He also has a deal with Socios, a blockchain-based fan site that brings in about $20 million. This past year, the Argentinian soccer star also started a business company called Play Time.
3. Kylian Mbappé: $120 million
Kylian Mbappé, who plays on Messi’s team at Paris-Germain, is the third highest-paid player in the world. At just 24 years old, he gets $100 million just from playing soccer, making him the highest-paid soccer player in the world. He also works with Sorare as an ambassador for the coin fantasy game. This is part of the $20 million he earns from business ventures outside of baseball.
4. LeBron James: $119.5 million
This past June, the basketball legend became the first active player to become a billionaire, mostly because of how smart he was with his money. On the floor, the Lakers player makes just under $45 million, but he makes most of his money in board rooms. In 2018, James created Ladder with his personal trainer Mike Mancias. The sports nutrition company’s main products are protein powders and vitamins to take before a workout. James is also the brains behind the company SpringHill, which makes movies. He is also a big investor in Fenway Sports Group, Major League Pickleball, Lobos 1707 tequila, Canyon Bicycles, Neutral Foods, and Mitchell & Ness clothing. This brings the total amount he makes off the court to $75 million per year.
5. Canelo Álvarez: $110 million
Canelo Alvarez makes $100 million a year just from fighting, which is more than most of his estimates. Outside of the ring, he has worked with companies like Hennessy and Michelob Ultra and started his own brands. He owns the Canelo Energy gas station chain, the exercise app I Can, his own sports drink Yaoca, and the VMC brand of canned cocktails.
6. Dustin Johnson: $106 million
When the Saudi-backed LIV golf tour began last June, Dustin Johnson was one of a number of PGA players who left to play on it. Even though Johnson’s move to LIV was risky, it paid off when he got $35.6 million. By making the change, Johnson was also able to co-own and lead the 4Aces GC team. Johnson has made $3.3 million from five LIV shows in 2023 alone.
7. Phil Mickelson: $106 million
Phil Mickelson, who is a golf champion, followed Johnson to LIV, even though that meant he would lose the backers he had before. When he’s not making a lot of money on the golf course (he won $1.6 million at the Masters), Mickelson works for For Wellness, a brand of coffee supplements that he co-founded. He is also part of a group of owners that just bought land right outside of Phoenix. Before he switched to LIV, Mickelson had made more than $1 billion over the course of his career.
8. Stephen Curry: $100.4 million
The Warriors star makes the most money this season, with a wage of $48.1 million. He also has a deal with Under Armour that lasts his whole career and a new relationship with Chase Bank. Stephen Curry is an entrepreneur in the same way that LeBron James is. He has his own media company called Unanimous Media, which will release a program about Curry on Apple TV+ in July. He also has money in Golf+ and Tiger Woods’s sports company, TMRW Sport.
9 Roger Federer: $95.1 million
Even though the 41-year-old Swiss tennis player is no longer playing, he has done well for himself with his many interests. Forbes says that he is still involved in more than a dozen relationships and has just signed a licensing deal with Oliver Peoples’ Eyewear. He also has a piece of the shoe company On, which makes him worth more than $95 million.
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10. Kevin Durant: $89.1 million
In a recent trade with the Brooklyn Nets, Kevin Durant signed a new deal with the Phoenix Suns. This brought his annual salary to $44.1 million. But, like most of the players above, Durant is also an investor. He has shares in a number of companies, such as League One Volleyball, Happy Viking, Premiere Lacrosse League, TMRW Sports, players Unlimited, and many more. On top of everything else, the basketball player just got a better deal with Nike. All of that, plus his pay from the Suns, comes to $45 million.
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