Do you know Top 10 highest paid sports personalities in the world and how much they earn? You probably do not know about their earning. The athletes we will talk about in this article, they do not have only agility and speed but also have plenty of money to invest in Businesses to make it double.
What do you think these athletes are only making money by playing games, dribbling, or kicking a ball. Yes, but not much. They are making money by endorsing a brand, business venture, and more. In 2017, a Soccer icon around the globe, Cristiano Ronaldo got the first position and topped the Forbes list of highest-paid athletes.
According to the report, The position had previously been occupied by Tiger Woods or Floyd Mayweather for 15 straight years. Over the last 12 months, 100 top paid athletes have earned $ 3.1 billion, which is slightly lower than $ 3.15 billion of the previous year.
The average age of the 10 highest-paid athletes is 31 among the top 100. The youngest athlete is Andre Drummond who will turn 24 in August.
Here is the list of top 10 highest paid sports personalities in the world
10. Lewis Hamilton (Total earning $46 million):
Lewis Hamilton is known to be one of the Best Formula One Race drivers. Hamilton drives for the Mercedez AMG Petronas in Formula one racing. He had a total earning of $46 million along with his salary and bonuses of $38 million. He won the championship thrice.
READ | Top 10 Most Beautiful Women Around the World You will Love to See
Do you know, Hamilton is the only British Driver who did quite well in Formula one racing. He won his first title in 2008 with McLaren thereafter he won with Mercedes in 2014 and then further in 2015. His victories sum up to 57.
9. James Harden (Total Earning $46.6 million): Highest Paid Sports Personalities
James Harden is an American basketball player. He had a total earning of $46.6 million along with his salary and bonuses of $26.6 million. James reportedly signed the biggest contract in the history of NBA in July last year.
He earned recognition as the NBA’s most prolific scorer and also rose to fame as the best shooting guard. Harden played basketball in college for Arizona state where he was a Pac 10 Player of the Year in 2009. Harden also played for Oklahoma City Thunder. His four-year extension with the Rockets is going to pay an average of $57 million per year and a total of $228 million. By the end of this contract, if we sum up his career earning, salary and endorsements would be a whopping $560 million!
8. Stephen Curry (Total Earning $60 million):
Stephan Curry is an American professional basketball player, who plays for the Golden State of Warriors of the National Basketball Association (NBA). Curry’s total earning stands at $60 million, which has a salary package of $40 million.
His first season with the Warriors was very successful but the second one was bombarded with his injuries. In June 2012, Stephen and the Warriors won another championship beating Cleveland Cavs in five games.
Read More: Inside View of Anushka Sharma & Virat Kohli Luxurious Worli Flat
Stephan Curry Married to Ayesha Alexander, they have two daughters. He lives in California whose younger brother Seth is also a professional basketball player. He is believed to be the first player who earned more than $40 million per season.
Highest Paid Sports Personalities live a lavish lifestyle
7. Rory McIlroy (Total Earning $110 million):
Rory McIlroy is a golfer, who belongs to Northern Island. McIlroy is a member of both the European and PGA tours. Rory McIlroy’s total earning stands at $50 million, and his total net worth of $110 million.
Rory had been a topic of discussion and severely criticized by his fans and media for not attending the Players Championship in 2011. He was one of the only golfers who did not take part in the Championship. If the report is believed, his “book value” exceeds $400 million.
6. Andrew Luck (Total Earning $40 million): Highest Paid Sports Personalities
Andrew Luck is an American football quarterback for the Indianapolis Colts of the National Football League (NFL). Luck has a net worth of $40 million, whose annual salary is $24 million.
He has been playing football since he was in college. Where he won the Maxwell Award and Walter Camp Award as a college football player. He also holds the record for the most passing yards by a rookie too. Between June 2016 and June 2017, Andrew Luck earned $50 million from salary and brand endorsements. His 2016 extension contract for $123 million included a bonus element of $32 million for signing which made him the highest-paid NFL player based on average salary.
5. Kevin Durant (Total Earning $150 million):
Kevin Durant is an American professional basketball player for the Golden State Warriors of the NBA. He has been named an NBA’s most valuable player award. Kevin has a net worth of $150 million. He played basketball for three different schools.
While playing for the Longhorns at the University of Texas, he thought entering NBA would be better for him. He did the same during his freshman year. Later, he was named the NBA rookie in 2007.
During 2015, he earned $88m from his salary. A three-time NBA star, Durant is one of the highest-paid athletes in 2017. Between June 2016 and June 2017, he earned $60 m from his salary and brand endorsements. He earns $36 million from endorsement deals with companies like Nike, Degree and more.
4. Roger Federer (Total Earning $450 million): Highest Paid Sports Personalities
Roger Federer is a Swiss professional tennis player who won 20 Grand Slam singles titles. He became the first male player in history who achieved this. He has also been named the world No. 1 spot in the ATP rankings for 302 consecutive weeks. Roger Federer is currently ranked world No. 2 in men’s singles tennis by the Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP).
Roger Federer earned $62 million in the year 2017. He also has a net worth of 450 million dollars and total career earnings of $105 million as of July 2017. He began playing tennis at a very early age and quickly showed signs that he had a great talent for the game. At the age of 13, he accepted an invitation from Switzerland’s national tennis training center.
He has won the Wimbledon several times and is also a champion of the Australian Open, French Open, and the US Open more than once. $65 million of his earnings last year came from brand endorsements.
Footballers always use to be the Highest Paid Sports Personalities in the world
3. Lionel Messi (Total Earning $340 million):
Lionel Messi is an Argentine professional footballer. Messi plays as a forward for Spanish club FC Barcelona and the Argentina national team. Lione Messi earned a total of $80 million for playing football.
Lionel Messi played his first major soccer when he was just 16-year-old. He was the youngest player ever in the history who played for Barcelona. Messi received a standing ovation during his first match after he scored alongside the superstar Ronaldinho.
In 2007-2008, his team was taken to the top four of La Liga, when Messi led the team. He also won a nomination as a forward for a FIFA Pro World XI Player and he was named the best player in the world by the newspaper Marca.
2. LeBron James (Total Earning $400 million): Highest Paid Sports Personalities
LeBron James is an American professional basketball player for the Cleveland Cavaliers of the NBA. James has a net worth of $400 million. He earns almost $25 million from his salary. Among the top 100 athletes of the world were 32 NBA players and James was also one of them.
This number was 18 in 2017. The credit can be given to a new $24 billion contract which causes the salary cap to boost up by 34%. Baseball landed 22 players amongst 100 but none were in the top 25.
1. Cristiano Ronaldo (Total Earning $400 million):
Cristiano Ronaldo is a Portuguese professional footballer who plays as a forward for Spanish club Real Madrid and the Portugal national team. He is usually considered the best player in the world and widely regarded as one of the greatest of all time. He is the Highest Paid Sports Personalities in the world.
Ronaldo is not only famous in the field but also on social media. He has 277 million followers on Facebook. His posts are over 1500 in number and generated 1.7 billion interactions.
Of the highest-paid athletes, 15 were from the area of football, which is the highest amongst other sportsmen numbers amongst the top 100. His net worth stands at $400 million and he earns a base salary of $40 million and an additional $40 million from brand endorsements.
Do you Know about Ronaldo’s Family?
Ronaldo’s father was a gardener and his mother was a cook. He had surgery for a racing heart at the age of 15. No wonder football is the most favourite pastime for the people who can afford the luxury of watching football instead of sweating for hours in labour. He left Manchester United for a $150 million contract with Real Madrid and has been playing for them since 2009.