10 of the Richest Athletes in the World

Who are 10 of the richest athletes in the world, in terms of their athletic careers? There are a great number of other well-known people in the world who had careers as athletes before going on to amass enormous fortunes. Our list consists of professional athletes who are either still actively competing or who have amassed significant wealth as a result of their status as well-known figures all over the world for a significant amount of time.

10. Lionel Messi  

Estimated Net Worth- $280 million

It is generally agreed that Lionel Messi is the best soccer player in the world at the present time, and that Cristiano Ronaldo is his lone rival for the title. His playing contract is full of bonuses for such exploits, which help make him one of the highest-paid athletes on the field. He has previously won the FIFA player of the year award five times, contributing to him being one of the highest-paid athletes in soccer.

Forbes’ 2019 list of the highest-paid athletes places Lionel Messi at the top of the list with earnings of $127 million. Messi’s earnings come from a combination of his annual salary of $80 million to play for Barcelona as well as his numerous top-tier endorsement deals, such as his lifetime partnership with Adidas. Messi has been previously named the player of the year by FIFA five times, therefore his salary is commensurate with his accomplishments in the sport.

In a surprising turn of events, a court in Spain found Messi guilty of tax fraud in July of 2016. Due to this, the Argentinian soccer captain was sentenced to 21 months in prison, although it is almost certain that he will serve the time as probation rather than in jail.

Messi and the other sportsmen on the list could see an increase in their earnings thanks to the tremendous popularity of NFTs in the sport of football.

9. Phil Mickelson

Estimated Net Worth- $400 million

Lefty is the nickname given to professional golfer Philip Alfred Mickelson, who hails from the United States. On the PGA Tour, he has amassed a total of 43 victories, including five major championships. During the 1990s, he was notorious for being Tiger Woods’ fiercest competitor, and the two of them together are estimated to be worth well over one billion dollars.

In addition to his tremendous success on the course, Mickelson has also secured massive endorsement deals with companies like as Workday and Barclays. During each stop on the tour, Phil displays the company name that is printed on the shirts that he wears.

8. LeBron James

Estimated Net Worth- $440 million

The great Lebron James has been named to the All-Star team three times, advanced his team to the NBA Finals twice, and solidified his position as one of the greatest basketball players of all time by guiding the Cleveland Cavaliers to victory in the series after they were down 3-1. This victory was Cleveland’s first professional sports championship in over half a century.

The “King” James has been under contract with Nike ever since he was only a young teenager. When combined with his endorsement deal with Coca-Cola, it would appear that he will have much extra cash on hand for the foreseeable future.

When he joined the Los Angeles Lakers in 2018, Forbes reports that he did so after signing a contract for $153 million over the course of four years to play for the team.

7. David Beckham

Estimated Net Worth- $450 million

Despite having retired from playing soccer five years ago, the former captain of England and star player for Manchester United still earns more than the top earners in the Premier League. David has always been a marketable player who has put in a significant amount of work in areas other than football in order to improve his financial situation. He has tried his hand in various industries, including the fashion industry, the food and beverage industry, television, the entertainment industry, and more, and he has been quite successful in all of them.

In January of 2018, David Beckham and his business partners announced the formation of a Major League Soccer (MLS) team in Miami. The team is projected to join the North American league as an expansion side in the year 2020. Beckham joined the LA Galaxy in 2007, and as part of the contract he signed with MLS, he was granted the opportunity to purchase a franchise team. In 2014, Beckham made the decision to execute this option, and he now owns a team in the MLS.

6. Cristiano Ronaldo

Estimated Net Worth- $450 million dollars

The Portuguese star had a fantastic 2016 with both his club and his country. In May, he won the Champions League with Real Madrid, and then in the summer, he captained Portugal to victory in the European Championship.

Ronaldo is reportedly making $65 million a year with his new side biz venture, Juventus, which places him in the number two spot on Forbes’ list of the highest-paid athletes in 2019. His lifetime brand endorsement contract with Nike is estimated to be worth one billion dollars.

When you consider that Cristiano Ronaldo also won his fourth Ballon d’Or, it is not difficult to see why he was one of the sportsmen who made the most money in 2017. Because he is the most popular athlete in the world and has more than 200 million social media followers, he has been able to secure full-body sponsorships from companies such as Nike, Tag Heuer, Sacoor Brothers, and Monster headphones, among others.

5. Floyd Mayweather: Richest Athletes in the World

Estimated Net Worth- $565 million

The great boxer Floyd Mayweather is now back on top of the heap after his most recent fight, which took place in 2015 and was against Manny Pacquiao. As a result of his fight with UFC superstar Conor McGregor, Floyd has earned himself a staggering total of more than $200 million in additional endorsements. In August of 2017, the Super Fight took place, and it ended up being one of the boxing events with the highest number of viewers ever. Mayweather capitalized on the opportunity and went on to win the fight against McGregor in the subsequent rounds. With this victory, Floyd Mayweather improved his record to the legendary 50-0.

4. Magic Johnson: Richest Athletes in the World

Estimated Net Worth- $600 Million

Photo by Rafael Amado Deras

Magic Johnson, also known as Earvin Johnson, is a former star player with the Los Angeles Lakers. As a member of the Lakers, Magic was a great of his period, winning five championships and three Finals Most Valuable Player awards. He took his retirement in 1996 and has gone on to achieve a great deal of success in his business endeavors. Johnson is the founder of Magic Johnson Enterprises, a company in which Sony Pictures and Starbucks are his business partners. Johnson is still a dominant figure in the world of sports, and in 2012 he became the co-owner of the baseball team Los Angeles Dodgers after purchasing the franchise for a record-breaking amount of money.

3. Roger Federer: Richest Athletes in the World

Estimated Net Worth- $700 million

In May of 2016, Roger Federer’s 16-year record of attendance at Grand Slam tournaments came to an end at the age of 65 after a back problem forced him to withdraw from the French Open. After that, he had a remarkable return in 2017, which cemented his position as the greatest tennis player of all time by giving him 20 grand slam titles and 103 ATP career tiles.

Federer has collected over $130 million in total career winnings, but his net worth of $450 million is due to endorsements and sponsorships with brands such as Rolex and Mercedes-Benz. Federer’s career earnings exceed more than $130 million in total. In addition, he has just agreed to a deal with the apparel business Uniqlo that is worth $300 million over the course of ten years.

In addition, Federer struck an equity contract with the Swiss company On Cloud, became its global ambassador, and invested in the company. All of this was the cherry on top. Since then, On Cloud has gone public and is now estimated to be worth $10 billion as a result. The current value of Federer’s investment in On Running is estimated to be somewhere in the neighborhood of $300 million.

2. Tiger Woods: Richest Athletes in the World

Estimated Net Worth- $800 million

When the golf great Tiger Woods was at the height of his game, he was unrivaled in the sport of golf. One of the many unique golf game factors that set him apart from the competition is that he won the U.S. Open Championship by a margin of 15 strokes, the British Open by 11, the Masters by 12, and completed the “Tiger Slam.” Since he has turned into a golf professional in 1996, Tiger has amassed more than $1.4 billion in earnings, making him the first athlete to ever become a billionaire.

Following a period of difficulty in his life, he accomplished one of the most remarkable comebacks in the history of sport: in 2018, Tiger made a meteoric rise from position 656 in the world to position 13 in the world in the span of just one season. Then, in 2019, Tiger solidified his position as a sporting great on April 15, 2019, when he won the US Masters by a score of two shots. This victory was his first major championship since 2008! He is the only golfer, other than Jack Nicklaus, to have won a major championship in each of the following three decades:

More than $110 million of that money came from prizes won while playing at the venue. By a significant margin, he is at position two on the all-time money list.

1. Michael Jordan: Richest Athletes in the World

Estimated Net Worth- $1.9 billion

According to Forbes, Michael Jordan has a net worth that is projected to be $1.9 billion, despite the fact that most people consider him to be the greatest basketball player of all time. He was the one who gave birth to the NBA and revolutionized the nature of what it meant to play basketball at the professional level. The man was a scoring machine for the game and earned a total of $90 million in compensation while winning six NBA championships, six MVP awards, being named to 14 All-Star teams, and leading the league in scoring ten times. However, it was his achievements away from the court that led to him becoming a billionaire. In addition to his role as Michael Jordan in the box office hit “Space Jam,” Jordan is also the majority owner of the basketball team Charlotte Hornets and has endorsement deals with both Nike and Gatorade.