Who is the highest paid athlete in the world. the largest contracts in world sports

Forbes magazine published a traditional ranking of athletes who earned the most in 2017. In total, the first hundred earned $3.8 billion. Athletes represent 23 countries, and 65 of them play basketball. Most of the top 100 are basketball players – 40 players.

Floyd Mayweather, boxing. $285 million

According to the publication, the highest paid athlete of last year was American boxer Floyd Mayweather Jr. In 2017, he fought only one fight - the so-called “money fight” against the mixed martial arts champion Irishman Conor McGregor. The American received $275 million in prize money.

Sponsorship contracts brought another $10 million to the boxer.

It is worth adding that this is the fourth time in the last seven years that an American tops the ranking of athletes who earned the most in a year. In terms of income, he is approaching the $1 billion mark.

Lionel Messi, football. $111 million

Second on the list is Barcelona footballer Lionel Messi. The Argentine has moved up to second position thanks to a new 5-year contract with the Spanish club, which will see him earn more than $80 million a year (including bonuses). This made the player the highest paid football player in the world. He also has many sponsorship contracts. In addition, the Messi Experience Park theme park is due to open in the Chinese city of Nanjing in 2020.

Cristiano Ronaldo, football. $108 million

Portuguese Cristiano Ronaldo earned slightly less in 2017. At the same time, the football player has a lower salary in the Spanish Real Madrid - about 50 million dollars than Messi, but earns significantly more from sponsorship contracts and his own business of the CR7 brand, hotels and restaurants.

At the same time, Ronaldo remains the most popular athlete in the world with 322 million subscribers worldwide.

Conor McGregor, mixed martial arts. $99 million

Despite the fact that the Irishman had many more fights than Floyd Mayweather, a defeat in a head-to-head fight prevented him from earning more than $100 million. However, he received a lot from sponsors, of whom there were quite a few.

Neymar, football. $90 million

The top 5 is completed by another football player. This is the Brazilian Neymar, who in the summer of 2017 moved from Barcelona to the French PSG for a record 222 million euros. According to the contract, the player will earn $350 million over 5 years (until 2022) in Paris. The rest of his income comes from sponsorship contracts.

Also on the list are basketball player LeBron James ($85.5 million), tennis player Roger Federer ($77.2 million), basketball player Stephen Curry ($76.9 million) and two American football players - Matt Ryan ($67.3 million ) and Matthew Stafford ($59.5 million).

Top 10 highest paid athletes in the world

The highest paid Formula 1 driver is Lewis Hamilton ($51 million, 12th place); in golf, the lead continues to be held by Tiger Woods ($43.3 million, 16th place). Athlete Usain Bolt is in 45th place with $31 million in earnings. Last in the top 100 ranking is basketball player Nicolas Batum with an income of $22.9 million. There are no Ukrainians on the list.

It is worth noting that the majority of the list are athletes performing in American leagues - NBA, NFL and Major League Baseball. However, there is not a single hockey player on the list.

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Forbes has released its annual list of the 100 highest-paid athletes in the world. Most of the places in the top ten were “captured” by basketball players, however, they lost the first position to the star of Real Madrid, Cristiano Ronaldo. And the only woman in the ranking was Serena Williams (51st place).

This is what it looks like top 10 richest athletes of 2017.

10. Lewis Hamilton (auto racing)

Income: $46 million

Few drivers entered Formula 1 as brilliantly as Lewis Hamilton. His sensational run in 2007, in which Hamilton lost just one point to champion Kimi Raikkonen, remains one of the most remarkable rookie campaigns in history. In the following years, the British rider won three world championships and established himself as one of the most aggressive and tough riders in the world. Simply put, when it comes to driving a Formula One car, there are very few areas in which Hamilton is not absolute champion. He has a €140 million contract with the Mercedes factory team until the end of 2018.

Income: $46.6 million

The NBA superstar, who plays for the Houston Rockets, is famous not only for his victories, but also for his luxurious beard, which has become a popular print for T-shirts and has inspired songs (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xMbibT7nhEg&feature= player_embedded#!) and even has a separate Twitter account. She makes the 27-year-old athlete look older than he really is. Harden has an advertising contract with Adidas totaling $200 million.

Income: $47.3 million

In May 2016, Curry became the first person to be named the most valuable player in NBA history by unanimous vote, and one of 11 players to win the MVP (Most Valuable Player) award two years in a row. Curry has contracts with several companies, including sportswear and accessories maker Under Armor and Unilever (in this case, the masculine basketball player endorses Degree men's deodorant).

7. Rory McIlroy (golf)

Earned - $50 million

Along with Jack Nicklaus and Tiger Woods, McIlroy is one of only three players to have won three majors by age 25. The Northern Irish golfer is the current face of EA Sports' PGA Tour series.

6. Andrew Luck (American football)

Received for 2016-2017. — 50 million dollars

Quarterback for the Indianapolis Colts. In 2016, Luck extended his contract with his club for six years. For this he will receive $140 million, which makes the athlete the highest paid player in the league.

Annual earnings - 60.6 million dollars

The NBA super forward has multi-million dollar endorsement deals with Under Armour, Foot Locker and Nike. He's in Rio. At the same time, the dark-skinned giant is known not only as one of the best basketball players of all time, but also as a philanthropist, artist and writer. And in 2012, he tried his hand at cinema, appearing in the film “Struck by Thunder.” True, the film received lukewarm reviews from both viewers and critics, but this is not Durant’s fault.

4. Roger Federer (tennis)

Financial receipts - $64 million

The only tennis player on the 2017 list of the richest sports celebrities is known for his good deeds. He founded the Federer Foundation, which helps children in the world's poorest regions. Federer also has the nickname “sandwich man” in his native Switzerland for his large number of sponsorship contracts. His advertising portfolio includes such giants as Mercedes-Benz, Credit Suisse, Rolex, Gillette and Nike.

Revenues: $80 million

The top three athletes with the highest earnings of 2017 are opened by the captain of Barcelona and the eternal rival of Cristiano Ronaldo for the title of the best football player in the world. Messi played in three World Cups (2006, 2010 and 2014) and three America's Cups (2007, 2011 and 2015). In the summer of 2008, he also played at the Beijing Olympics, and returned home with a gold medal. Messi earns his millions not only on the football field; he has advertising contracts with Adidas, Turkish Airlines, Lays and other brands.

2. LeBron James (basketball)

Earned - 86.2 dollars

The best player in the NBA has also become the highest paid basketball player in the world, and has every chance of next year oust the current king sports rating rich people Not bad for a guy who entered the 2003 NBA draft straight from high school. James has a lifetime contract with Nike, as well as agreements with Coca-Cola and Kia.

1. Cristiano Ronaldo (soccer)

Received over the last year - 93 million dollars

That superstar Cristiano Ronaldo topped Forbrs' list of the world's highest-paid sports stars was expected given he had arguably the most successful 12 months in football history. In addition to his recent UEFA Champions League victory, Ronaldo also won the title of best player in his domestic La Liga, and won the European Championship with the Portuguese national team. And in December 2016, the football player was awarded the Golden Ball as best player peace. He extended his contract with Real Madrid, which will pay Cristiano over $50 million a year for the next four years.

A passion for sports is close to almost every teenager. Everyone can love sports, but only a few can boast of making it their life’s work and earning millions of dollars. Big sport means big money.

Professional athletes did not think that a childhood hobby would develop into a profitable lifelong business. In the modern world, income comes not so much from victories and awards, but from salaries of organizations and advertising activities. For example, football players earn tens of times more from PR for a cool brand than from the championship. And there are also large fees for artificially “leaking” the game and in fixed matches. Bookmakers, bets, filming videos - all this together brings the player millions of dollars in accounts.

Big names of athletes are associated with fame and wads of dollars. Is this really so, and who is considered the richest athlete in history and the modern world - you can find out from the ratings.

At the end of the article we have prepared a surprise 🎁 - an exciting test to test your attentiveness 😃

Forbes ranking of the highest paid athletes

The ranking of the richest people is published annually in the American magazine Forbes. This includes politicians, businessmen, actors, and other influential persons. There are also TOP successful and rich athletes. At the end of 2018, the following sports figures were immortalized on the pages of the magazine:

Floyd Mayweather

The MMA fighter managed to receive a one-time fee of $275 million. It seems impossible, but in the world big sport this is a very real number. The fight with Conor McGregor was a turning point that elevated Mayweather not only to the top of the Forbes list, but also to the top three richest athletes in history. The historic fight was organized relatively quickly - within a month. The interest of the audience was fueled not only by the status of the fighters, but also by the skirmish that arose between them in in social networks.

Ten rounds of Floyd's lead ended in a technical knockdown. No one expected such a spectacle, and the preliminary fees of both athletes increased significantly. In addition, Mayweather acted as “side A”, which means he dictated the terms of the fight. In addition to the fee, Floyd received huge amounts of money from advertising and other events related to the large-scale fight.

The highest paid football player in the world based on the results of 2018 is always placed next to Beckham and Ronaldo. If we talk about the components of annual income, then only Messi’s salary from the club is the main one. Thus, having signed a contract with Barcelona, ​​Messi’s annual income became an average of 100 million. The football player is not particularly concerned about the advertising activities. Of course, he collaborates with Adidas, Samsung, Chery, PepsiCo and other brands, which brings him another 10 - 11 million a year. But this is not paramount for Messi.

Moreover, it seems that the athlete was not looking for a club that would pay him well. He wanted to play with a team that could win. Just a game and just talent that brought an unknown footballer to the top of the Forbes list.

At the end of the year, Ronaldo lost the championship to Messi, but not by much - by 2 million dollars. As a result, Cristiano's average annual income was 108 million. As noted above, Cristiano is actively involved in advertising activities. Ronaldo has a lifetime contract with Nike worth 1 billion. In 2017–2018, the football player earned 61 million on the field, and 47 million from investors.

Cristiano loudly declares himself as the “most brilliant” football player and person. An ideal life, career, car - all these attributes of a player increase income exponentially.

Fighter mixed martial arts received a fee of $100 million for the same fight that brought Mayweather record earnings. The ring star did not fight in vain - now McGregor has luxurious mansions on two continents - in Dublin and Las Vegas. Konon has never been shy about his love for big money and luxury cars.

Our own fleet includes eight luxury cars - Mercedes, Cadillac, BMW. No one predicted untold riches for the 29-year-old Irishman. He grew up in a poor family and studied plumbing. Perhaps living before adulthood in one of the most criminal cities in Ireland formed a fighting character and a desire for loud victories.

The Brazilian forward, with an average annual income of $90 million, according to the Center for Sports Research, became the most dear player world title, beating Messi, Ronaldo and Beckham. The CIES Football Observatory focuses on the immediate value of a player on the football field, leaving the money of investors and advertising agencies unaccounted for.

That is, the evaluation criteria are the number of goals scored, participation in championships, and average time spent at the club. The professional value of the player is taken into account from the point of view of the buyer's interest. According to estimates, the latest contract with the Paris Saint-Germain club will bring Neymar 350 million until 2022.

The NBA player for the Cleveland Cavaliers is the leader among the highest paid basketball players in the world. The secret to LeBron's success lies not so much in professional skills, but in a skillful marketing strategy. Since 2006, LeBron founded LRMR Ventures and SpringHill Entertainment. In 2015 – media company Uninterrupted. Business income in 2018 amounted to $53 million, while direct play on the field brought the basketball player $35 million.

IN last years James is trying to move away from the “athlete-brand” model, but maintains partnerships with Nike, Coca-Cola and other high-profile manufacturers. Thus, he has been on the list of the richest basketball players for the fourth year with an annual earnings of $88 million.

Tennis is considered the most profitable sport in terms of marketing. This is explained simply. Firstly, this is a year-round game, and secondly, it is popular everywhere. Thirdly, true fans are very wealthy people. Roger Federer has won throughout his illustrious career prize fund at $116 million. But this amount is infinitesimal compared to investment costs and advertising revenues. Federer's regular partners include Nike, Credit Suze, Moet & Chandon.

For the first time among the highly paid NBA basketball players, a Golden State Warriors player appeared. Stefan's salary is $12 million, which puts him in 83rd place among NBA players. In addition, the title of a successful athlete is not yet familiar to young Stefan.

But Curry's advertising revenues tripled after signing a contract with the NBA. In 2018, Stefan's total income amounted to $77 million, which allowed the young basketball player to enter the top ten richest athletes.

The American football athlete became the record holder for the highest income among NFL players. So, the net salary is $30 million, guaranteed payments from the club are around 100 million, bonuses are 46.5. Over the past year, thanks to a successfully signed contract with the Atlanta Falcons, Matt reached $67.3 million, which secured him a place of honor in Forbes.

Another athlete of popular football in America earned $59 million in 2018. thanks to collaborations with Nike and PepsiCo, as well as a signed contract with the Detroit Lions until 2022.

This is what the TOP 10 most expensive and famous athletes modernity from which it is clear that not a single Russian citizen has yet managed to conquer the “Olympic peak”, but not a single player from the rating, except Mayweather, bears the title of the richest athletes in history.

TOP 10 richest athletes in the history of the world

In this top ten there are people with billion-dollar fortunes, stars about whom legends are made and which all newcomers try to emulate. There will be no facts from their history here, but only bare numbers that would be the envy of modern Forbes leaders. Their achievements in dollar equivalent are as follows:

His fortune at the end of 2016 is estimated at $1.7 billion. Earnings from playing in the NBA amounted to 93 million - this is an absolute record among basketball players. The rest is advertising. Nike still pays Michael about 100 million a year due to the phenomenal success of the Jordan brand.

Who can argue that golf is lucrative in terms of advertising? It’s not for nothing that they say that golfers are the richest people on the planet. Tiger Woods is the leader of the rankings with a total fortune of $1.65 billion. Moreover, half of this fabulous amount is advertising revenue. It is worth noting that the golfer continues to sports career, despite a recent injury.

The career of the famous golfer lasted half a century - also a kind of record. If you add up his salary, income from brands and sponsors, Palmer earned $1.35 billion. Unfortunately, the athlete recently died, but his name will forever occupy an honorable place in the history of golf.

Jed retired from the golf world in 2004 and has been involved in business ever since. The author of several hundred projects, he managed to make a fortune - 1.15 billion dollars.

Schumacher is a household name, so there is no point in talking about career achievements. The seven-time world champion had a record salary of 80 million a year. During his life, the famous Schumacher became a dollar billionaire, earning 1 billion from racing.

American business magazine Forbes recently published its annual ranking of the world's 100 highest-paid athletes. Experts calculated the players' earnings by adding up their prize money, salaries and income from advertising contracts between June 2018 and June 2019.

The top 100 included athletes from 25 countries, their combined earnings increased by $4 billion or 5% compared to the previous year.

List of 100 richest athletes of 2019

10 most expensive athletes in the world

10. Kevin Durant (basketball) - $65.4 million

The basketball star is not yet the richest athlete in the world, but he is firmly in the top ten richest people in sports, ahead of number 11 (Tiger Woods) by $1.5 million.

In 2018, Durant earned $35 million thanks to sponsors (Google, Alaska Air Group, Nike and others), as well as through investments in more than 30 companies.

9. Stephen Curry (basketball) - $79.8 million

The Golden State Warriors point guard is one of the most sought-after athletes in the world in recent years. In 2017, he signed a contract for $200 million.

In addition to your sports activities Curry also owns the production company Unanimous media. And its sponsorship list includes Chase, Nissan Motor, Under Armor, and others.

8. LeBron James (basketball) – $89 million

The Los Angeles Lakers forward is considered one of the greatest basketball players of all time, and being named one of the world's highest paid athletes in 2019 certainly backs that up.

According to ESPN insider Adrian Wojnarowski, LeBron's team will meet the Clippers at Staples Center in December. This will be the NBA's biggest Christmas game.

7. Aaron Rodgers (American football) - $89.3 million

The two-time MVP winner was ranked No. 7 on Forbes' 2019 list of the world's richest athletes. Last August, Rodgers signed a four-year contract with the Green Bay Packers worth $134 million. He also acquired a minority stake in the NBA team Milwaukee Bucks.

6. Russell Wilson (American football) - $89.5 million

The American football player recently became the highest paid player in the NFL after signing a four-year contract with the Seattle Seahawks worth $140 million. Wilson led the Seahawks to a Super Bowl title in 2013-14.

In addition to his $80.5 million salary, Wilson received $9 million from his partners: Wilson Sporting Goods, Amazon, Alaska Air Group, Bose, Mercedes-Benz and Nike.

5. Roger Federer (tennis) - $93.4 million

The Swiss professional tennis player is currently ranked third in the world in men's tennis. Federer is now nearing the end of his career, however he has been number one for 6 years in a row and has won 19 Grand Prix in his career.

Federer earned $86 million from his partners Credit Suisse, Mercedes-Benz and Rolex, making him the highest-paid athlete from endorsement deals. And Japanese sports giant Uniqlo signed a 10-year contract with the tennis star last year worth $300 million.

4. Saul “Canelo” Alvarez (boxing) – $94 million

One of the most bright stars boxer is also the richest athlete in his sport. His performances in the ring brought him $92 million, and Alvarez received another $2 million through advertising deals with DAZN and Everlast.

DAZN committed $365 million in 2018 to sponsor Alvarez's next 11 fights. The Mexican boxer's first two fights on the streaming service earned him around $50 million, with future fights potentially worth $35 million each.

3. Neymar (soccer) - $105 million

Messi's former teammate and Paris Saint-Germain star is the third richest athlete in the world.

A significant portion of his income comes from numerous advertising contracts with DAZN, Beats Electronics, Electronic Arts, Gillette, Mastercard, McDonald's, Nike, Red Bull, TCL and many other companies.

2. Cristiano Ronaldo (soccer) – $109 million

One of them currently plays for Juventus, having joined from Real Madrid in 2018.

Ronaldo is considered the best football player in the world and constantly competes with Lionel Messi for this title. In fact, these two players are the only ones to win the Player of the Year award in the last few years.

Ronaldo also boasts an incredible number of followers on social media. He has recently become the most followed sports celebrity on Instagram, with nearly 400 million followers there.

An impressive $44 million of Cristiano's total came from advertising agreements with Nike, Herbalife, Altice, DAZN, MTG, Electronic Arts and many others.

1. Lionel Messi (soccer) – $127 million

Meanwhile, Lionel Messi topped the list of the world's highest-paid athletes for the first time, taking the place of boxer Floyd Mayweather, the 2018 leader.

And even Cristiano Ronaldo, who committed one of the goals last season, became only second on the list.

The world's highest-paid athlete earned about $35 million through advertising partners such as Adidas, MasterCard, Gatorade, Huawei and PepsiCo.

It is noteworthy that this is the first time that football players have made it into the top three richest athletes since 1990, that is, since Forbes began tracking the income of sports stars.

1. Cristiano Ronaldo (32 years old, Portugal). Football - Real Madrid

Total income: $93 million (salaries: 58, advertising: 35)

Ronaldo won the Champions League for the second time in a row, became a five-time winner of the Ballon d'Or (prize best football player Europe), extended his contract with Real Madrid and signed a lifetime partnership agreement with Nike, which is valued at approximately $1 billion.

2. LeBron James (32 years old, USA). Basketball - Cleveland Cavaliers

Total income - 86.2 million (salary - 31.2, advertising - 55)

James extended his contract with the club for three years, during which he will receive $100 million and, like Ronaldo, received a lifetime agreement with Nike.

3. Lionel Messi (30 years old, Argentina). Football - Barcelona

Total income - 80 million (salary - 53, advertising - 27)

Messi, who has recently been plagued by failures on the field, but whose club is finally confidently leading in the current Spanish championship, has renewed his contract with Adidas to life.

4. Roger Federer (36 years old, Switzerland). Tennis

Total income - 64 million (salary - 6, advertising - 58)

Federer won Australian Open, his first title " Grand Slam"since 2012, and then also Wimbledon, after which he signed several lucrative advertising contracts. Including with the manufacturer of pasta and sauces Barilla for as much as 40 million.

5. Kevin Durant (29 years old, USA). Basketball - Golden State Warriors

Total income - 60.6 million (salary - 26.6, advertising - 34)

On the eve of last season, Durant signed a two-year contract with the Warriors for 54 million, and this year he became the NBA champion and the Most Valuable Player of the Finals. It is clear that the guy continues to collect coupons from long-term agreements with many global brands, including Nike, BBVA, Panini and others.

6. Andrew Luck (28 years old, USA). American football - Indianapolis Colts

Total income - 50 million (salary - 47, advertising - 3)

Back in 2016, Luck became the highest paid player in the league (123 million over 5 years, including a 32 million signing bonus). Marketers of large brands are just taking a closer look at it.

10 largest contracts in world sports

7. Rory McIlroy (28 years old, Northern Ireland). Golf

Total income - 50 million (salary - 16, advertising - 34)

In April 2017, one of the strongest golfers in the world, winner of four majors (the most prestigious men's professional golf tournaments) extended his partnership with Nike for 10 years, which will bring him about 200 million.

8. Stephen Curry (29 years old, USA). Basketball - Golden State Warriors

Total income - 47.3 million (salary - 12.3, advertising - 35)

The 2017 NBA champion signed a new contract with the club in the summer: $201 million over the next five years, so he will probably move up several notches in the next ranking. In the meantime, Curry can take solace in the fact that his advertising revenue has tripled in the last 12 months.

9. James Harden (28 years old, USA). Basketball - Houston Rockets

Total income - 46.6 million (salary - 26.6, advertising - 20)

Harden has a very favorable agreement with the club (118 million for four seasons), and he has an excellent rating of demand in the advertising market: about a dozen companies use the image of one of the most technical players in the NBA.

10. Lewis Hamilton (32 years old, Great Britain). Auto racing - Formula 1

Total income - 46 million (salary - 38, advertising - 8)

Hamilton won the Formula 1 championship for the fourth time in his career in 2017 and remains the most popular driver in the world, hunted by major advertisers.