The prestigious
Forbes
magazine revealed on Tuesday who are the
ten highest paid athletes in the world
, a ranking in which
Lionel Messi ranks second
behind the Portuguese Cristiano Ronaldo.
The question about how much this or that elite athlete earns usually appears in a conversation and the publication is in charge of responding to the concern.
"Siuuuuuuu", CR7 would shout if being first on the list was like scoring a goal or receiving the Ballon d'Or, but the highest step of this ladder does not give a trophy or a medal, but dollars.
Messi, on the other hand, would perhaps cross himself and point his index fingers at the sky, although his low profile and exposure cast doubt on such a celebration.
The Portuguese, who today seems to be closer to retirement than returning to the forefront of international football, had a traumatic departure from Manchester United, although his bank account was heavily swelled after signing with Saudi Arabia's Al Nasser.
At 38 years old,
Cristiano Ronaldo
makes 46 million dollars on the field of play and another 90 million off the pitch.
That sum translates into the 136 million dollars that place him as the highest paid athlete on Earth.
France was not second, but Lionel Messi
, who at the age of 35 reached the peak of his sports career by winning the 2022 World Cup, although his time at PSG was not as successful as could be assumed.
The Argentine 10 collects 130 million dollars, with equal amounts between what is taken from one side of the lime line and from the other.
Both have marked a before and after in the history of football and business, while, for biological reasons, they begin to leave the throne to new figures like
Kylian Mbappé
.
Precisely, the French artilleryman completes the podium of the ten with the highest turnover, with 120 million for his young 24 years.
He was 35th in the money list last year, and now he makes his debut in the "top ten", being the only "Under 30".
The first three, not curiously, receive salaries from Qatari and Saudi petrodollars.
In that line, Qatar is the one who hired two of the first three on the list, since it owns Paris Saint-Germain.
The fourth place is occupied by the first non-soccer player and, to no one's surprise, the position belongs to the 6 of the Los Angeles Lakers,
LeBron James,
with half a million less than the runner-up in the world in Doha.
The leading scorer in NBA history became the first active athlete to be certified a billionaire by Forbes last June.
Among the remaining five, the appearances of two golfers such as Dustin Johnson and Phil Mickelson stand out, as well as Stephen Curry, James's archrival in the NBA.
Ninth is Roger Federer, despite his retirement from professional tennis in September 2022. His list of more than a dozen long-term partners remains intact, as he announces new partnerships with companies.
Kevin Durant is tenth, with less than 90 million.
Along with Michael Jordan and James, he is one of three athletes to have a lifetime contract with one of the two largest sportswear brands in the world.
On the end of the report, Forbes explains: "Forbes field earnings figures include all prize money, salaries and bonuses earned between May 1, 2022 and May 1, 2023. In cases where players continue to be paid beyond May 1 for a regular season that has concluded by then, such as in the NBA and European soccer—we allocate full season salary.Includes playoff bonuses for the 2022 NBA season NFL and the 2021-22 NBA season".
It adds: "Off-field earnings figures are an estimate of endorsement deals, appearance fees and memorabilia and license income for the 12 months prior to May 1, 2023, plus cash earnings from any business operated by the athlete, according to conversations with industry experts. Forbes does not include income from investments, such as interest payments or dividends, but it does account for payments from capital shares that athletes have sold," while, finally, clarifying that the publication "does not deduct taxes or agent fees. The list includes athletes active at any time during the 12-month period."
DB
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