Wed 12 June 2019:
LIONEL MESSI got one over old rival Cristiano Ronaldo as he was crowned Forbes’ highest-paid athlete in the world. Ranking the top-100 global earners, Ronaldo came second in Forbes’ sporting rich list with Neymar third, making it the first time footballers have ever filled the top three spots.
The Argentinian maestro earned a whopping £100million, unseating retied boxer Floyd Mayweather who topped the list four times in seven years. Messi, 31, earned £72m from his salary and prize money, with an extra £28m filling the coffers from endorsements. Fresh from lifting the Uefa Nations League title, Ronaldo took home £86m, with £51m from wages and £35m from endorsements. Brazilian forward Neymar scooped £83m, with Manchester United’s Paul Pogba the next highest footballer in 44th place on £26m.
The list includes prize money, salaries and bonuses earned between June 1, 2018 and June 1, 2019. And Mexican boxer Canelo Alvarez is the first non-footballer in fourth (£74m), with tennis star Roger Federer in fifth (£73.5m). Completing the top-10 are NFL stars Russell Wilson and Aaron Rodgers (both £70m), and NBA legends Le Bron James (£70m), Stephen Curry (£63m) and Kevin Durant (£51m).
RICH LIST
Anthony Joshua has had the worst few weeks of his career after losing his heavyweight belts to Andy Ruiz Jr. But Forbes placed him in 13th position to become the highest-earning Brit alongside Lewis Hamilton, with both netting a cool £43m. Alexis Sanchez (£24m), Mesut Ozil (£24m) and Mo Salah (£20m) are the other Premier League stars in the top-100, with Real Madrid forward Gareth Bale in 79th place after earning £21m.
Serena Williams (£23m) was the highest-placed woman, finishing in 63rd after no woman appeared in the 2018 list. Forbes Media senior editor Kurt Badenhausen said: “The global impact of soccer is clearly reflected in earnings in 2019, with the top three athletes on the list being Messi, Ronaldo, and Neymar. “But basketball players continue to dominate the top 100 overall with 35 athletes on the list earning a total of £1billion, with 72% of that income coming from salaries rather than endorsement deals.”
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