The 10 best-paid athletes in the world
Huge salaries, lucrative sponsorship and merchandising machines in the background: the world's top earning athletes come from a range of sports. These ten together earn over half a billion dollars a year.
The Number One
His record is unbeatable: 47 fights, 47 wins. Floyd Mayweather Jr. is an ace in the ring, and a marketing genius outside it. The 37-year-old boxing welterweight world champion earned $105 million (82 million euros) last year, making him the highest earning sportsman in the world, according to Forbes magazine.
Fast, beautiful and rich
Cristiano Ronaldo is one of the most talented footballers ever, and he's also one of the most vain. Even if he plays a 90 minute game in non-stop rain, Ronaldo still leaves the pitch looking great. It's no surprise that part of his earnings come from his own fashion label. His yearly income is $80 million.
King James
Highly-touted from a young age, the now 29-year-old Lebron James has already turned himself into a basketball icon. He's been voted the NBA's Most Valuable Player four times in a row, and on top of being a global ambassador for his sport, his yearly earnings are a cool $72.3 million.
A unique story
The world's fourth highest earning athlete, Lionel Messi, grabbed people's attention at an even younger age than LeBron James. As a youngster the Argentinian footballer moved to Spanish football club, Barcelona, where he developed his skills and size, thanks to a bout of hormone therapy. Today he's a world star, earning $64.7 million annually, before tax of course.
Reliable star qualities
His career in the NBA has become nothing short of epic: Kobe Bryant has played in 16 NBA All-Star games, and he's been NBA champion five times. The LA Lakers player is now 36-years-old and remains one of the game's most iconic players. On top of that, he's still earning $61.5 million a year.
Billionaire golfer
Tiger Woods is two years older than Kobe Bryant, and not playing the best golf of his life at the moment, but he still pulls in a remarkable $61.2 million a year. Most of that money, unsurprisingly considering Woods' current loss of swing, comes from endorsements. He's the first sportsman ever to have earned over $1 billion, in the course of his career.
Swiss guarantee
His rivals Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal seem to have taken over on the court, but Swiss tennis legend Roger Federer still earns the most in the tennis world. Even though he hasn't added to his 17 Grand Slam titles recently, his endorsement list is still a big reason Federer earns $56.2 million a year.
Lucrative lefty
Apart from recent post-match press conferences, Phil Mickelson is perhaps one of the most chilled out sportsmen in the top ten. The 44-year-old US golfer has managed over 50 tournament wins in his career and has built up a small fortune. His yearly salary, sitting at $53.2 million, isn't bad either.
A fighting champion
Aggressive, dynamic and with lots of spin: Rafael Nadal's way of playing tennis is unpleasant for any opponent. Injuries have often hindered the Spanish tennis star, but he keeps fighting back. His reward hasn't just been on the court either. The Spaniard's yearly earnings are $44.5 million.
Passing machine
Matt Ryan isn't one of the most well-known sportsmen in the world. Nevertheless, the American football player is a bigger earner than Neymar, Lewis Hamilton and MS Dhoni. The Atlanta Falcons quarterback earns $43.8 million annually, thanks to a new contract signed last year that saw him become the team's franchise quarterback.
Women's sport top earner
Noticed anything? The top ten earning athletes in the world are all men, and so are most of the Top 100 list as well. Not before position number 34 do you find a female athlete. Surprisingly, Russian tennis star Maria Sharapova is the highest paid sportswoman in the world. Success on the court, endorsements and her successful candy-making company, Sugarpova, all contribute to Sharapova's income.