It is generally recognized that Forbes American magazine considers the money of others best of all, which, among other things, determines the 100 highest-paid athletes in the world every year. In 2017, for the first time, a new ranking of the most financially successful athletes in the history of sports was compiled.
About ratings
The new rating includes 25 athletes who have earned the most in their careers. This list has the most basketball players - 6, 5 people each represent boxing and golf, the most popular sport in the world is represented by 3 soccer players, 2 representatives of tennis and auto racing, American football and baseball delegated 1 athlete each.
In 2018, representatives of 11 sports were included in the regular ranking. Together, they earned $ 3.8 billion, up 23% from last year. Most of all in the list of the highest paid athletes in the world of basketball are 40 people, which is associated with successes in the NBA business, the growth of income of which allows to pay record salaries.
Richest in history
The list includes representatives of 8 sports that have earned from their 1.85 billion (leader - Michael Jordan) to $ 470 million (the final rating is tennis player Andre Agassi) during their sports career. If the list is compiled again, then Floyd Mayweather, who is in 9th place in the current rating, will be added to the 5 great athletes who have earned more than one billion dollars. Tiger Woods (2nd place) was among the top highest paid athletes in the world in history, followed by golfers who had long completed their sports career - Arnold Palmer and Jack Nicklaus. Closes the five billionaires legendary race car driver Michael Schumacher.
Who earned the most
The most famous basketball player Michael Jordan (USA) earned the most money from sports, whose fortune is now estimated at $ 1.7 billion. Only 93 million of this incredible amount was the salary for 15 years of the phenomenal game in the clubs of the strongest basketball league. According to Forbes, he is the highest paid athlete in the world in history.
He currently earns $ 100 million each year, thanks to an advertising contract with Nike. The company, on the Air Jordan brand, earns 2.8 billion in revenue. Jordan successfully invested in the NBA Charlotte Hornets team, the price of which increased several times.
The first billionaire athlete
Tiger Woods is second in the ranking of the highest paid athletes in the world in history. And at the same time, he is the first athlete to earn a billion dollars. For twelve consecutive years, from 2001 to 2012, he was an athlete with the highest annual salary. Woods lost first place only after he stopped playing due to back pain. When he resumed his sports career, he began to earn on sponsorship contracts only half of the amount that he received at the peak of fame. In 2018, he took 16th place in the list of 100 highest paid athletes in the world with a profit of $ 43.3 million.
Good scandals in his personal life and back pain did not stop good contracts; he continues to appear in commercials. Despite outstanding athletic performance (he won 14 times in major tournaments), he earned a lot more on advertising by signing contracts with TaylorMade, Bridgestone, American Express, EA Sports, General Motors.
Absolute record holder
After Tiger Woods temporarily interrupted his sports career, the next three years, the top highest paid athletes in the world were led by invincible boxer Floyd Mayweather. In 2015, he set an absolute record for annual income. Only the bonus for winning the “duel of the century” with Manny Pacquiao amounted to $ 100 million, all in all, he earned $ 300 million. After record earnings, Floyd announced his retirement from the sport.
However, he soon began to prepare for a widely publicized battle with the star of the fights without rules Conor McGregor. The 36-minute fight, which was more like a show in which Floyd tried not to beat McGregor too hard, brought him $ 285 million, including 275 million in fixed income and a percentage of television broadcasts.
Advertising deals with Hublot and Tequila Avion earned him another 10 million. Hublot released a special series of watches, with which the client received a boxing glove signed by Mayweather. Thanks to a good career renewal, his total earnings exceeded one billion dollars. And he joined Tiger Woods and Michael Jordan on the list of highest paid athletes in history. In total, he spent 49 fights in the professional ring, without losing a single one of them.
First footballer
Cristiano Ronaldo is the only representative of his sport who has taken the highest place among the highest paid athletes in the world. In 2017, during the retirement of Floyd Mayweather, he managed to dilute the circle of American leading athletes. In 2018, Ronaldo rolled back to third place. In the ranking of the highest paid athletes in the world in history, takes 12th place with a total income of $ 725 million.
In the past football season, Cristiano scored 44 goals in 43 matches and for the fifth time received a medal for winning the Champions League. In 2017, he again, for the fifth time, became the best football player in Europe and the owner of the Golden Ball. The contract with Real Madrid provides him with an annual income of $ 50 million. This summer, Ronaldo moved to Juventus, according to rumors, for 100-120 million. Moreover, his salary will be about a third more than the specified amount. Last year, his earnings amounted to 108 million dollars, of which 47 - income from advertising campaigns.
Ronaldo has a lifetime contract with Nike worth over one billion. The Nike brand CR7 brand line has expanded significantly, now it is not only soccer shoes, but also underwear, jeans, shoes, toilet water and children's goods. He also represents other popular brands, including Herbalife and American Tourister. Under his name, hotels and restaurants in Brazil work, produce electronic devices for building muscle mass and much more. Cristiano remains the most popular sportsman on social networks with 322 million followers.
More football players
In the list of the highest paid athletes in the world in history there are only two more players - David Beckham (in 8th place with a total earnings of $ 800 million) and Lionel Messi (in 16th place with 600 million).
David Beckham - multiple champion of England in the “Manchester United” and the United States in the “Los Angeles Galaxy”, also at sunset career became the champion of France in Paris Saint-Germain. During the years of his performances, the salaries of football players were not so high, Beckham earned most of his fortune on sponsorship and advertising contracts. Having completed his football career in 2013, he continues to appear in many commercials.
In 2017, Lionel Messi renegotiated his contract with Barcelona, which made him the football player with the highest salary in the world. Under the new conditions, he will receive $ 80 million a year, including salaries and bonuses. Among the highest paid athletes in the world in 2018, he took second place, ahead of his eternal rival - Cristiano Ronaldo. Last season, Messi scored 45 goals in all tournaments, becoming the best in the top 5 of the strongest European champions. Last year, he earned $ 111 million, of which 84 million were salaries and prize money.
Messi has a lifelong contract with Adidas, the terms of which have recently been updated, in addition, he advertises the products of Gatorade, Pepsi, Hawkers, etc. An entertainment complex named after him is being built in Nanjing (China), which is scheduled to open in 2020.
Tournament Prize Winner
Roger Federer took 6th place in the top 100 of the highest paid athletes in the world for 2018 and 15th place in the ranking for the entire history with a total career earnings of $ 675 million. In the annual rating for the current year took 7th place. He recently set a record for the total prize in the Asia-Pacific tour, earning $ 116 million, ahead of Novak Djokovic (109.8 million) and Tiger Woods with 110 million in payouts in the PGA round.
The best tennis player for the entire existence of the game increased his record of victories to 20 in Grand Slam tournaments. In 2018, he was shortly the first racket of the world, thereby setting a record as the oldest leader in the ATP rating. Last year, Roger earned $ 77.2 million, including $ 12.2 million in prize money. He still makes the bulk of his money from advertising. Federer recently signed contracts with Mercedes-Benz, Lindt, and the $ 40 million Barilla seller of pastas and sauces.
