Posted by Top 10 Richest Athletes in the World 2023
American business magazine Forbes recently published its annual ranking of the 100 highest-paid athletes in the world. Experts calculated the earnings of players, putting together their prize money, salaries and income from advertising contracts between June 2019 and June 2023.
The top 100 richest athletes included athletes from 25 countries, their total earnings grew by 4 billion. 5% compared to the previous year.
The recent pandemic which had made sports activities to be put on hold has also caused some athletes to lose their earnings why some increased massively.
That is probably why you shouldn’t be surprised when you see athletes like Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo not topping the list of the top 10 richest athletes in the world 2023.
Top 10 Highest-paid Athletes in the World 2023
These are the highest-paid athletes in the world in 2023:
- Kevin Durant (Basketball) – US$75 million
- Tom Brady (American Football) – US$76 million
- Lewis Hamilton (Formula 1) – US$82 million
- Roger Federer – US$90 million
- Neymar (Football) – US$95 million
- Lebron James (Basketball) – US$96.5 million
- Dak Prescott (American Football) – US$107.5 million
- Christiano Ronaldo (Football) – US$120 million
- Lionel Messi (Football) – US$130 million
- Conor McGregor (MMA) – US$180 million
10. Kevin Durant (basketball) -Net Worth 2023- $75 Million
Age: 32
Sport: Basketball
Nationality: United States
Sponsorships: Thirty-Five Ventures, Two Distant Strangers (Oscar Winning), Uber investment.
The Basketball star is not yet the richest athlete in the world, but confidently enters the top ten rich of the sport.
In 2018, Durant earned $35 million through sponsors (Google, Alaska Air Group, Nike and others), as well as investments in more than 30 companies.
9. Tom Brady – US$76 million
Age: 43
Sport: Football
Nationality: United States
Sponsorships: Christopher Cloos, Fanatics, TB12, film production company, NFT platform.
The 43-year old doesn’t look to be stopping anytime soon. Capping off an unbelievable season with a Lombardi trophy to boot, the veteran has been on fire lately for reaping in endorsement deals and other ventures. According to Forbes, one of his newest endorsements was as a speaker at virtual events where he collected big bucks while also being a commercial pitchman for eyewear maker Christopher Cloosand apparel juggernaut Fanatics respectively through advertising campaigns that are currently live now!
8. Lewis Hamilton – US$82 million
Age: 36
Sport: Formula 1
Nationality: United Kingdom
Sponsorships: Tommy Hilfiger, Monster Energy, Puma, Extreme E racing series.
Lewis Hamilton is an absolute machine. He’s the fastest man in Formula 1, and can’t be beaten when it comes to speed or skill on a track! He finished his sixth championship run with 11 race wins at the 2020 National Championship that netted him $82 million. Lewis has made history for himself by being one of only two athletes who have appeared twice on this list-a a true living legend!
7. Roger Federer (tennis) – $90 Million
Age: 39
Sport: Tennis
Nationality: Switzerland
Sponsorships: On, Rolex, Credit Suisse, and Uniqlo.
The Swiss professional tennis player currently ranks first to become the richest athlete in the world in 2023. Federer is now nearing the end of his career, but he was number one for six consecutive years and has won 19 grand prix in his career. Roger Federer is currently the highest-paid athlete in 2023.
Federer earned $86 million from his partners Credit Suisse, Mercedes-Benz and Rolex, making him the highest-paid athlete through advertising contracts. And Japanese sports giant Uniqlo signed a 10-year, $300 million contract with the tennis star last year.
6. Neymar (football) – $95 Million
Age: 29
Sport: Soccer
Nationality: Brazil
Sponsorships: Puma, Fortnite.
Messi’s former team-mate and Paris Saint-Germain star – Neymar is the sixth highest-paid athlete in the world in 2023.
A significant part of its revenues is provided by numerous advertising contracts with DA’N, Beats Electronics, Electronic Arts, Gillette, Mastercard, McDonald’s, Nike, Red Bull, TCL and many other companies.
5. LeBron James (basketball) – $96.5 Million
Age: 36
Sport: Basketball
Nationality: United States
Sponsorships: PepsiCo, Fenway Sports Group (Red Sox, Liverpool FC and Roush Fenway Racing).
The Los Angeles Lakers forward is considered one of the greatest basketball players of all time, and his entry into the world’s highest-paid athletes of 2019 certainly confirms that view.
LeBron’s advertising portfolio includes Beats Electronics, Coca-Cola, KIA Motors, Nike and many other well-known companies.
According to ESPN insider Adrian Wojnarowski, LeBron’s team will meet the Clippers at Staples Center in December. This will be the NBA’s main Christmas game.
4. Dak Prescott – US$107.5 million
Age: 27
Sport: Football
Nationality: United States
Sponsorships: Sleep number, 7/11, DirecTV, four Texas locations of Walk-On restaurant.
The Dallas Cowboys franchise quarterback Dak Prescott secured a four-year $160 million contract extension which pushed him into the 100-million club. The signing bonus of 66 million dollars was more than enough to secure one of the most lucrative contracts in NFL history, and with that kind of compensation, he is now at home among some of the highest-earning athletes on earth right alongside LeBron James and Kevin Durant who are also members of this elite list.
Top 20 Richest football players in the world in 2021: (Updated list)
3. Cristiano Ronaldo (football) – $120 Million
Age: 36
Sport: Soccer
Nationality: Portugal
Sponsorships: Nike (Lifetime), CR7 business of branded clothing, accessories, hotels and gyms.
One of the most beautiful footballers in the world currently plays for Juventus, moving there from Real Madrid in 2018. Cristiano Ronaldo is third on the list of the richest athletes in the world 2023.
Ronaldo is considered by his fans as the best footballer in the world and constantly fights with Lionel Messi for this title. In fact, over the past few years, these two players have been the only players to receive the Player of the Year award.
Ronaldo also boasts an incredible number of followers on social media. Recently, he became the most popular sports celebrity on Instagram, where he has almost 400 million subscribers.
Impressive 44 million Cristiano brought dollars of the total amount of advertising agreements with Nike, Herbalife, Altice, DA’N, MTG, Electronic Arts and many others.
2. Lionel Messi (football) – $130 Million
Age: 33
Sport: Soccer
Nationality: Argentina
Sponsorships: Adidas (Lifetime), Clothing line (Ginny Hilfiger).
Meanwhile, Lionel Messi made it to the first three on list of the highest-paid athletes in the world in 2023 for the first time. Messi is the second highest paid athlete in the world in 2023. He is a six times ballon d’Or award winner making him one of the best football legends to ever walk the face of the earth.
And even Cristiano Ronaldo, who made one of the most expensive transfers in the history of football last season, was only second on the list.
About $35 million was earned by the world’s highest-paid sportsman thanks to advertising partners such as Adidas, MasterCard, Gatorade, Huawei, and PepsiCo.
It is noteworthy that the players for the first time got into the top three richest athletes since 1990 – that is since Forbes began to track the income of sports stars.
1. Conor McGregor – US$180 million
Age: 32
Sport: MMA
Nationality: Ireland
Sponsorships: Proper No. Twelve whiskeys, DraftKings, Dystopia, Roots of Fight
In the world of professional fighting, Connor McGregor is king. Connor McGregor is the Highest-paid Athlete in the World 2023 with a net income of $180million.
In January he lost his UFC featherweight belt to Dustin Poirier in a knockout but still pocketed $22 million from that fight alone! His Proper No Twelve whiskey brand sold for over $150 million and has made him the highest-paid athlete on Earth this year.
These are the Top 20 Highest Paid Athletes in the World 2020:
| Rank | Name | Total Pay | Salary/Winnings | Endorsements | Sport |
| #1 | Roger Federer | $106.3 M | $6.3 M | $100 M | Tennis |
| #2 | Cristiano Ronaldo | $105 M | $60 M | $45 M | Soccer |
| #3 | Lionel Messi | $104 M | $72 M | $32 M | Soccer |
| #4 | Neymar | $95.5 M | $70.5 M | $25 M | Soccer |
| #5 | LeBron James | $88.2 M | $28.2 M | $60 M | Basketball |
| #6 | Stephen Curry | $74.4 M | $30.4 M | $44 M | Basketball |
| #7 | Kevin Durant | $63.9 M | $28.9 M | $35 M | Basketball |
| #8 | Tiger Woods | $62.3 M | $2.3 M | $60 M | Golf |
| #9 | Kirk Cousins | $60.5 M | $58 M | $2.5 M | Football |
| #10 | Carson Wentz | $59.1 M | $55.1 M | $4 M | Football |
| #11 | Tyson Fury | $57 M | $50 M | $7 M | Boxing |
| #12 | Russell Westbrook | $56 M | $29 M | $27 M | Basketball |
| #13 | Lewis Hamilton | $54 M | $42 M | $12 M | Auto Racing |
| #14 | Rory McIlroy | $52 M | $22 M | $30 M | Golf |
| #15 | Jared Goff | $49 M | $47 M | $2 M | Football |
| #16 | Conor McGregor | $48 M | $32 M | $16 M | Mixed Martial Arts |
| #17 | James Harden | $47.8 M | $28.8 M | $19 M | Basketball |
| #18 | Giannis Antetokounmpo | $47.6 M | $19.6 M | $28 M | Basketball |
| #19 | Anthony Joshua | $47 M | $36 M | $11 M | Boxing |
| #20 | Deontay Wilder | $46.5 M | $46 M | $500 K | Boxing |
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