by Brett Knight
After a disappointing year and a half at Manchester United, Cristiano Ronaldo moved to Saudi Arabia’s Al Nasr in January, securing a handsome deal that nearly doubled his annual earnings to an estimated $75 million.
Golf stars Phil Mickelson and Dustin Johnson made the big move last year, leaving the PGA Tour for Saudi-backed LIV Golf, receiving tens of millions of dollars in advance guarantees.
And Lionel Messi has stayed in Paris Saint-Germain, at least for now, but has now begun a partnership with Saudi Arabia as the country’s tourism ambassador, in a multi-billion dollar deal. And of course, his team, which also includes Kylian Mbappé, belongs to Qatar Sports Investments, a subsidiary of the country’s sovereign wealth fund.
A boom in sports media rights deals and growing financial “opportunities” off the field have already helped boost athletes’ earnings in recent years, but Middle Eastern petrodollars have really “fed the fire.”
In total, the world’s 10 highest-paid athletes earned a staggering $1.11 billion in the past 12 months, before taxes and executive fees, 12% more than the €900 million they received last year, but a 5% more than the record of $1.06. billion pocketed in 2018.
The 2018 record, of course, was achieved thanks to a whopping $285 million from boxer Floyd Mayweather Jr., which was the second-highest amount received by an athlete in the Forbes list’s 33-year history.
The 2023 top 10, however, stands out because all the participants in the “dream team” are equally impressive. At the top is Ronaldo with an estimated earnings of $136 million, of which $46 million relates to the stadium appearance fee and the remaining $90 million comes from endorsements, appearances, royalties and other commercial endeavors.
A dynamic entry into the club of the highest-paid athletes was also made by Mbappé, who at 24 was in third place on the list with earnings of $120 million, as well as Johnson, who rose to sixth with an amount of $107 million. of dollars.
The three mentioned above, in fact, are among the eight elite athletes who have each raised more than 100 million dollars in the last 12 months, twice as much as last year. Ronaldo, Messi ($130 million) and LeBron James ($119.5 million) have long since surpassed that mark, but the others: Mbappe, Johnson and boxing champion Canelo Alvarez ($110 million), Mickelson ($106 million) and NBA star Stephen Curry. ($100.4 million) – He entered the nine-figure club for the first time this year. Only seven other athletes have previously achieved something similar.
Tennis ace Roger Federer, No. 9 on this year’s list, is one of them, though this year he narrowly missed that mark, with an estimated earnings of $95.1 million, almost all of which came from fights within of the stadiums. Kevin Durant rounds out the top ten in 2023, with earnings of $89.1 million, raising the “bar” for entering the top 10 by 10%, from $80.9 million in 2022.
The biggest surprise on this year’s roster, however, is probably the entry of two golfers. Mickelson, 52, with the exception of his impressive Masters tournament run last month, no longer resembles the player who over an 11-year period from 2006 to 2016 was consistently on the highest-paid list. athletes. (Last year he was ranked 31st with earnings of $45.3 million.) Johnson didn’t even break the top 50 last year and saw his earnings off the course drop to around $5 million, down from $29 million in 2022, as sponsors turned a blind eye to the LIV Golf tournament. . .
However, the emerging LIV tournament managed to get bonuses that more than made up for this variety. Forbes estimates that Mickelson received $200 million in signing guarantees, while Johnson received $125 million in guarantees. Both have reportedly collected upfront half of the previous sums.
However, with LIV’s seemingly never-ending budget, backed by Saudi Arabia’s sovereign wealth fund, with $620 billion in assets under management, the lavish checks are expected to continue.
The “dream team” of the highest paid athletes
No.1 Cristiano Ronaldo
Total revenue: $136 million
On-field earnings: $46 million
Off-field earnings: $90 million
Nationality: Portuguese
Sport: Soccer
Age: 38
No. 2 Lionel Messi
Total earnings: $130 million
On-field earnings: $65 million
Off-field earnings: $65 million
Argentina Nationality
Sport: Soccer
Age: 35
No. 3 Kylian Mbappe
Total earnings: $120 million
On-field earnings: $100 million
Off-field earnings: $20 million
Nationality: France
Sport: Soccer
Age: 25
#4 LeBron James
Total revenue: $119.5 million
On-field earnings: $44.5 million
Off-field earnings: $75 million
Nationality united states
Sport: Basketball
Age: 38
No. 5 Canelo Alvarez
Total earnings: $110 million
On-field earnings: $100 million
Off-field earnings: $10 million
Nationality: Mexico
Sport: Boxing
Age: 32
#6 Dustin Johnson
Total earnings: $107 million
On-field earnings: $102 million
Off-field earnings: $5 million
Nationality united states
Sport: Golf
Age: 38
#7 Phil Mickelson
Total earnings: $106 million
On-field earnings: $104 million
Off-field earnings: $2 million
Nationality united states
Sport: Golf
Age: 52
#8 Stephen Curry
Total revenue: $100.4 million
On-field earnings: $48.4 million
Off-field earnings: $52 million
Nationality united states
Sport: Basketball
Age: 35
No. 9 Roger Federer
Total revenue: $95.1 million
On-field earnings: $0.1 million
Off-field earnings: $95 million
Swiss nationality
Tennis
Age: 41
#10Kevin Durant
Total revenue: $89.1 million
On-field earnings: $44.1 million
Off-field earnings: $45 million
Nationality united states
Sport: Basketball
Age: 34