The World’s 10 Highest-Paid Athletes 2022
Lionel Messi leads the team, which has earned more than 990 million dollars in 12 months, more than ever!
By Brett Knight
Lionel Messi was just 17 years old when he started training for Barcelona's top national team, so leaving the only professional home that knew about moving to PSG after 17 seasons, he was a little older. in August last year.
Somehow, however, he returned to the area known to the 34-year-old football superstar this season.
In the last 12 months, with $ 130 million more in taxes, Mesic has topped the Forbes annual list of the highest paid athletes in the world , second on the list (second in 2019). While Forbes estimates that Messi's salary has dropped by $ 22 million this season from $ 75 million at Barcelona to $ 75 million this year, the huge increase in guarantees helps match the 12-month record he set last year. . Mixed fight fighter Conor McGregor took the 2nd place.
Messi's main rival, Cristiano Ronaldo, who also transferred from Juventus to Manchester United in August, took third place this year with $ 115 million. Among them is the "Los Angeles Lakers" LeBron James with 121.2 million dollars, surpassing the record set by the NBA player set at 96.5 million dollars last year. James is only the tenth athlete to exceed $ 100 million in one year, five times more than Messi և Ronaldo.
TEN YEARS
The top ten athletes in the world have earned $ 992 million in the last 12 months, which is the third highest figure in history.
According to Forbes , ten athletes in the world have earned 992 million dollars in the last 12 months. That's 6% less than in 2021, but the decline is due to the $ 180 million McGregor received last year from his Irish whiskey brand, Proper No. Twelve, receiving $ 150 million from the sale. (McGregor remains in the top 10, but will appear in the full list of the 50 highest paid athletes by 2022, to be published later this month).
This year's total is the third largest in history at $ 1,050 billion in 2021 and $ 1.06 billion in 2018, when McGregor again distorted the result in a fight with Floyd Mayweather. And as a clear sign that sports stars are doing better than ever, this year's top 10 is $ 80.9 million, released by Janice Atetokunmp of the Milwaukee Bucks. This is an 8% increase from $ 75 million in 2021 to $ 65.4 million in 2019 by 24%.
The top ten athletes off the court earned $ 500 million in license fees, licenses, souvenirs, license fees, as well as with the companies they work with and sell shares. This is almost the same as last year's record of $ 512 million.
The addition of cryptocurrencies և NFT platforms to the sports marketing equation helped offset McGregor's huge salary loss last year. Martin Messi has signed a one-year, $ 20 million contract with Socios, a fan-based app based on blockchain technology. The top ten is followed by FTX Golden State Warriors Stephen Curry, Tampa Bay Bookers Tom Brady, and James և Brooklyn Nets joins Ken Durant, Crypto.com և Coinbase respectively.
Up or down, this is a serious coin.
10 REGIONS OF THE WORLD 2022
Number 1 |: $ 130 million
Lianel Messi
Industry: $ 75 million: Out of the box, $ 55 million
PSG / Getty Images:
Age: 34 | Sport. Football Nationality: Argentina
Lionel Messi's $ 20 million annual partnership with Socios adds to his portfolio of companies including Adidas, Budweiser and PepsiCo. In a deal announced last June, he also became the ambassador of Hard Rock International's first sports brand, helping Messi reach Manchester United striker Cristiano Ronaldo for the first time since 2013. Messi won the "Golden Ball" in 2021. He is the best player in the world, but lately he has had a harder time on the pitch, scoring 9 goals in 32 games for PSG, after scoring 38 points in 47 games for Barcelona last season. But before PSG reached the quarter-finals of the Champions League, the club won the French Ligue 1 title in Messi's first season.
Number 2 |: $ 121.2 million
LEBRON JAMES
Industry: $ 41.2 million Outside: $ 80 million
Ashley Landis / AP
Age: 37 | Sport. Basketball Nationality: USA
The Los Angeles Lakers lost LeBron James in the playoffs this season, but he has never been more dominant off the field. He starred in last year's " Space Jam. In The New Legacy , and recently moved its Shop from HBO to YouTube. In October, he sold a significant minority stake in SpringHill behind the two projects for about $ 725 million and a net worth of $ 850 million, according to Forbes . After announcing a deal with Crypto.com in January, James appeared in a Super Bowl ad next to a junior computer version. He also recently invested in a home gym, Tonal և StatusPRO, a sports technology startup that creates virtual reality training products.
Number 3 |: $ 115 MILLION
CHRISTIAN RONALD
Industry: $ 60 million Outside: $ 55 million
Ash Donello / Manchester United
Age: 37 | Sport: Football Nationality: Portugal
Like rival Lionel Messi, Cristiano Ronaldo disappointed his first season with his new team, leaving Manchester United one game ahead of them in sixth place in the Premier League standings. There are rumors that Ronaldo, who played for Manchester United from 2003 to 2009, may now return during the summer transfer window. Most of Ronaldo's income comes from his active presence on social networks. He has 690 million followers on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, and demands high offers from sponsors such as Nike, Herbalife and Clear Shampoo. Tatel is also a restaurant investor, including a new restaurant in Beverly Hills, the face of the ZujuGP app, which is becoming a digital football community.
Number 4 |: $ 95 million
Neymar
Industry: $ 70 million Outside: $ 25 million
Christoph Ann / AP:
Age: 30 | Sport. Football Nationality: Brazil
Neymar scored his 400th career goal in November, but like Lionel Messi, he came under criticism after PSG's early exit from the Champions League. Now that he is focusing on the World Cup in Qatar this fall, he said it could be his last. Off the field he has valuable defenses, including Puma և Red Bull և Net is the theme of Netflix's new documentary series Neymar. Perfect chaos . Immerse yourself in the world of NFT Bored Ape Yacht Club NFT, which signed with NFTSTAR in November and spent more than $ 1 million twice a day in January.
Number 5 |: $ 92.8 million
Stephen Kerry
Industry: $ 45.8 million Outside: $ 47 million
Jeff Chiu / AP
Age: 34 | Sport. Basketball Nationality: USA
No NBA player has received more than Steven Carey this season, and the Guardian Golden State Warriors should receive a pay rise after signing a $ 215 million four-year contract extension last August. Next season, he will earn about $ 48 million on the court, less than $ 60 million by 2025-26. Curry's new FTX deal was also in jeopardy; (He promised to donate the proceeds.) Curry's Unanimous Media, meanwhile, signed a development deal with Comcast NBCUniversal in September.
No. 6 |: $ 92.1 million
KEVIN DURA
Mine - $ 42.1 million Outside - $ 50 million
Frank Franklin II / AP
Age: 33 | Sport. Basketball Nationality: USA
From the Brooklyn Nets, Kevin Durant brings in about $ 28 million a year from Nike, and LeBron James ($ 32 million) surpasses only active players. He recently made deals with Coinbase, NBA Top Shot և Weedmaps, but his business empire with Media Boardroom և investment company Thirty Five Ventures is not guaranteed. NFT platform OpenSea և Digital fitness startup Future are among the latest investments to support the merger of SeatGeek SPAC. Duran and his longtime business partner Rich Kleiman announced last year that they would also be creating their own SPAC. he is still looking for achievement.
No. 7 |: $ 90.7 million
Roger Federer
Industry: $ 0.7 million Outside: $ 90 million
Kirsty Wigglesworth / AP:
Age: 40 | Sport: Tennis Citizenship: Switzerland
Roger Federer has been ruled out of six tournaments between 2020 and 2021 due to injury and has yet to return to tennis in 2022. However, the former world number one racket continues to be the best player in the sport, pushing brands such as Uniqlo և Rolex. . He also invested in the Swiss shoe brand in 2019; the company opened in September, raising more than $ 600 million. "We work very closely on product design, " Federer told Forbes after spending 20 days in the lab with the On team, which designed the company's professional tennis shoes.
No. 8 |: $ 90 million
CANEL ALVARES:
Industry: $ 85 million Exterior: $ 5 million
Al Bello / Getty Images:
Age: 31 | Sport: Boxing Nationality: Mexico
Canela Alvarez is the biggest boxing boxer to make $ 40 million or more from two paid wins in May-November last year. (On May 7, 2022, Dmitry Bivol was dropped from the Forbes list to win the lightweight title.) In addition to the ring, Alvarez works with Hennessy and has a taco restaurant in his hometown of Mexico. For distribution in California. Last year, Alvarez announced that he would launch a chain of gas stations, and his Canelo Promotions had a series of fights in Mexico with Matchroom Boxing and DAZN.
No. 9 |: $ 83.9 million
Tom Brady
Mine - $ 31.9 million Outside - $ 52 million
Kevin K. Cox / Getty Images:
Age: 44 | Sport. Football Nationality: USA
Tom Brady's retirement of less than six weeks out of the season was a welcome addition to the 43-year-old Tampa Bay Buccaneers, who completed an impressive 2021 season. He is definitely learning new tricks off the field. Last year, Brady co-founder NFT raised $ 170 million in funding for its January B round of funding, announced in January, while Religion of Sports, co-founded by Michael Strahan Pro Football Hall, is led by Gotham Chopra. : open content. deals. With Skydance Sports in March. At the same time, his other production company, 199 Productions, is starring in Brady's 80th anniversary film, releasing a new line of clothing called BRADY. And when it's finally time to leave football, Brady is ready to win his next job as a Fox Sports commentator. According to the New York Post , the deal will cost him more than he earned on the pitch in 22 NFL seasons - $ 375 million over ten years.
No. 10 |: $ 80.9 million
YANIS ANTEKAKUMPA
Mine - $ 39.9 million Outside - $ 41 million
Charles Krupa / AP
Age: 27 | Sport. Basketball Nationality. Greece
When Neymar turned 30 in February, Janis Antetokumpa was the only one to turn 20 this year. The Milwaukee Bucks double MVP signed a five-year contract worth $ 228 million in December 2020, the highest overall contract in the NBA to date. The WatchBox was among the investors in the $ 165 million round-the-clock financing platform announced in November, signed a licensing agreement with the NFT platform NFTSTAR, added WhatsApp, and Google Pixel 6 as part of its stable guarantee. And Atetocump will soon be able to see the story of his life in Rise , a biographical film that premieres at Disney + in June.
METHODOLOGY
Revenue data for Forbes includes all bonuses, salaries, and bonuses received from May 1, 2021 to May 1, 2022. In cases where players continue to be paid in the regular season, which is now over, in the NBA և European football, we set a full season salary. Play-off bonuses are included for the 2021 NFL season և 2020-21 NBA season.
External Profit is an estimate of 12 months of defense offers, performance fees, products and licenses for the 12 months of May 2022 և provides compensation for any business involving athletes based on interviews with industry experts. Forbes does not include investment income, such as interest or dividends, but does include payments for shares sold by athletes.
Forbes does not charge taxes or agency fees. The list includes athletes who are active at any time during the 12 months.
With additional reports by Justin Byrnbaum և Matt Craig .
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