Highest Paid Athletes (2023):
- Conor McGregor – $180 million
- Lionel Messi – $130 million
- Cristiano Ronaldo – $120 million
- Dak Prescott – $107.5 million
- LeBron James – $96.5 million
- Neymar – $95 million
- Roger Federer – $90 million
- Lewis Hamilton – $82 million
- Tom Brady – $76 million
Conor McGregor
One of the biggest names in UFC history, McGregor takes his place at the top of the Forbes richest athletes for 2021. McGregor lands the winning punch, having leveraged his unmatched popularity in mixed martial arts to build a lucrative hustle outside UFC’s Octagon. He collected a total of $180 million over the last 12 months. Most of that comes from his recent sale of his majority stake in whiskey brand Proper No. Adding in his endorsements, McGregor made $158 million outside of his fighting career over the last 12 months. Becoming only the third athlete, after Roger Federer and Tiger Woods, to earn more than $70 million off the field in a single year while still actively competing.
Lionel Messi
Lionel Messi regained his status as the second highest paid athlete on the 2021 Forbes rich list. With only Conor McGregor earning more over the course of the year. Messi now leads the way with the most Ballon d’Or wins and he remains as influential as ever at Camp Nou. He’s well into his thirties, but he remains the undisputed best player in the world, and he continues to carry what is a flawed Barcelona team to trophies. Argentinian soccer player Lionel Messi has played for FC Barcelona and the Argentina national team. Messi has a knack for goal scoring, setting multiple records he left Barcelona after 17 seasons. Now he is a Paris saint German player.
Cristiano Ronaldo
Cristiano Ronaldo is also regarded as one of the greatest soccer players of all time. This 36-year-old athlete is from Portugal and currently plays for Manchester United F.C. His annual earnings come in at $120 million. Cristiano Ronaldo was featured on the iconic Burj Khalifa in Dubai after he won the ‘Top Goalscorer of All Time’ at the Globe Soccer Awards 2021. Ronaldo has been superior to Messi financially for much of his career. And his endorsement revenue remains almost $10 million greater but he will have to settle for third spot in 2021. He made history when he became the first person to reach a combined 500 million followers across his social media accounts.
Dak Prescott
Dak Prescott comes in fourth on the 2021 highest paid athletes and his lucrative contract for the year made him the top earning NFL player on the Forbes rich list. He earned $107.5 million through his contract and various endorsement and sponsorship deals. The fourth highest paid sportsperson on the planet will hopefully justify his lofty salary in the coming years.
LeBron James
James earned $96.5million through his contract endorsement and sponsorship deals. A hallmark year from King James was backed by an NBA-record payday. After securing his fourth championship in the bubble, number 23 isn’t slowing down, debuting as a Hollywood leading man with the July release of Space Jam: A New Legacy.
