Forbes has published its annual list of the year’s top ten highest-paid athletes.
According to Forbes, Lionel Messi of Paris Saint-Germain was the highest-paid athlete in sports in the past year, earning $130 million.
Messi’s pay has dropped by almost $22 million since his final season with Barcelona, but he still earns around $75 million with PSG and has seen a huge boost in endorsements, matching his 12-month record from last year’s research.
The seven-time Ballon d’Or winner is ahead of LeBron James of the Los Angeles Lakers and Cristiano Ronaldo of Manchester United, who are in second and third place, respectively.
The list of the top 10 are presented below:
- Lionel Messi (football) – $130 million
- LeBron James (basketball) – $121.2 million
- Cristiano Ronaldo (football) – $115 million
- Neymar (Football) – $95 million
- Stephen Curry (Basketball) – $92.8 million
- Kevein Durant (Basketball) – $92.1 million
- Roger Federer (Tennis) – $90.7 million
- Canelo Alvarez (Boxer) – $90 million
- Tom Brady (American football) – $83.9 million
- Giannis Antetokounmpo (Basketball) – $80.9 million
