NEW YORK, USA – Forbes has released its annual sporting rich list and guess who’s on top?
Move over Floyd Mayweather because Lionel Messi has just dethroned you.
According to Forbes, Barcelona and Argentina star Messi raked in $127 million in salary and endorsement deals.
That put Messi ahead of long-time rival Cristiano Ronaldo, the Juventus and Portugal star who was 2nd with earnings of $109 million, said a report from the French international news service, Agence France Presse (AFP).
Brazil and Paris Saint-Germain striker Neymar completed a sweep of the top 3 positions by footballers, coming in third with earnings of $105 million.
The 4th highest earner on the list was Mexico’s middleweight boxing star Saul “Canelo” Alvarez with $94 million.
Alvarez, who defeated Gennady Golovkin last September to become the unified middleweight champion, inked the richest deal in boxing history last October, signing a five-year 11-fight contract with streaming network DAZN worth $365 million, said the report.
Other highlights:
• Former world No. 1 Tiger Woods was 11th on the list with $69.3 million, which included an estimated $54 million in endorsements.
• Tennis superstar Serena Williams was the only woman to make the list, coming in at 63rd with earnings of $29.2 million.
Meantime, Evergreen tennis star Roger Federer was 5th on the list with total earnings of $93.4 million.
Most of Federer’s earnings came from lucrative endorsement deals, with the 20-time Grand Slam singles champion pocketing $86 million.
“Stars from the NFL and NBA rounded out the top 10 on the list, with Seattle Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson sixth on $89.5 million, just ahead of Green Bay Packers signal-caller Aaron Rodgers ($89.3 million),” said the AFP report.
Los Angeles Lakers star LeBron James was the highest earning NBA player, with $89 million, while Golden State’s Stephen Curry was 9th with $79.8 million, it added.
Curry’s Golden State teammate Kevin Durant was 10th on the rankings with $65.4 million, also according to a Rappler report.
