The US magazine “Forbes” has again published the list of the highest paid athletes in the world – and once again a footballer leads this list.
Lionel Messi occupies the top position according to the business magazine. According to the ranking published on Thursday, the football star earned 130 million US dollars (123.617 million euros) in the past twelve months after moving from FC Barcelona to Paris Saint-Germain, which is the same as in the same period last year.
According to “Forbes” estimates, Messi has suffered a salary loss of 22 million US dollars as a result of his move, but still gets a salary of 75 million US dollars. Deals outside of sport brought Messi 55 million. He replaces mixed martial arts star Conor McGregor, who earned $180 million the year before. The “Forbes” list is based on research by the magazine’s editors and is based on estimates and is believed to be reliable.
Number two in the ranking is basketball star LeBron James of the Los Angeles Lakers with $121.2 million ($41.2 million/80 million) ahead of Messi’s rival Cristiano Ronaldo of Manchester United with $115 million ($60 million/ 55 million).
Tennis ace Roger Federer, No. 1 in 2020, is seventh and, at $90 million, is the top-grossing non-sports leader. In total, the long-injured Swiss earned $90.7 million, including $0.7 million from tournaments.
“Forbes” initially only published a top 10 of the highest-earning athletes, the top 50 is to be announced in the course of May. In total, the top ten in the leaderboard earned $992 million ($943.293 million) between May 2021 and May this year. This is a decline of six percent compared to the previous year with 1.05 billion US dollars (998.445 million euros).
Particularly striking: The top 6 only includes footballers and basketball players.
The top 10 highest paid athletes:
| Position | athlete | Revenue (in dollars) |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Lionel Messi (soccer) | 130 million |
| 2 | LeBron James (Basketball) | 121.2 million |
| 3 | Cristiano Ronaldo (soccer) | 115 million |
| 4 | Neymar (football) | 95 million |
| 5 | Stephen Curry (Basketball) | 92.8 million |
| 6 | Kevin Durant (Basketball) | 92.1 million |
| 7 | Roger Federer (Tennis) | 90.7 million |
| 8 | Canelo Alvarez (Boxen) | 90 million |
| 9 | Tom Brady (Football) | 83.9 million |
| 10 | Giannis Antetokounmpo (Basketball) | 80.9 million |
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