These are the personalities that have entertained us with their skills and performance. We enjoy their best performances and at times criticized their bad performances. But nevertheless these people have earned a special place in our hearts and so are the advertisers who are ready to spend a moon on them.
Today we have compiled the list of top 10 highly paid sportsmen in the world. We will be moving in the ascending order i.e. from the lowest to the highest one.
10. Lionel Messi: This heartthrob player from Argentina is believed as the best footballer in the world. He is the third highest paid person in the field of soccer. Messi earns about $32.3 million annually. Half of his earnings come from Barcelona football club and rest comes from his endorsement deals with giants like Pepsi, Konami, Adidas, etc. Messi had a disastrous World Cup last year but he came back strong and scored 53 goals, won his fifth La Liga title and third Champions League.
9. Michael Schumacher: This F1 legend came back from the retirement to revive the fortunes of the motor sporting world. He earlier used to drive with Ferrari but now he races for Mercedes and his annual earnings are reported to be around $34 million annually. So far he hasn’t been able to revive his position back in the motorsports world but we can expect a glorious comeback from him.
8. Alex Rodriguez: Unlike the most personalities in the basketball world. Rodriguez remains the most paid personality in the history of NBA. He is not an MVP calibre player anymore but he is a great agent that can crack the deals for endorsements and sponsorship for you. He makes $35 million from his dealings annually.
7. Cristiano Ronaldo: This high profile soccer player lives in Portugal and plays for Real Madrid football club. He has been finishing second behind the Lionel Messi for the past two years but this is something he can boast. A major chunk of his earnings come from deal with Nike. By judging the popularity of him in the social media arena, he is the most popular athlete in the world. Ronaldo earns about $38 million annually.
6. David Beckham: Despite being away from his soccer fans and away from the global fans, David Beckham manages to make around $40 million annually. A large chunk comes from his appearance in the LA Galaxy Club and rest comes from his endorsement deals.
5. Phil Mickelson: He is the number two highly paid golf person after Tiger Woods. The four time major winner manages to earn $46 million annually.
4. Roger Federer: He’s no longer the best in the world of tennis but this doesn’t stop him from being the highest paid person in the world of tennis. This 16 time grand slam winner earns around $47 million annually. Most of his earnings come from deals with Rolex, Nike, Wilson and others. He also owns other businesses in Switzerland.
3. LeBron James: He is the America’s most hated basketball player. He plays for Miami Heat basketball team and boasts of most popular jersey in the world. He earns about $15 million from the basketball court and rest he earns from his stake in Liverpool FC and bestselling shoe in the world. His total earnings are about $48 million.
2. Kobe Bryant: It was rough year for him, getting swept by Dallas Mavericks in NBA playoffs. He earns about $53 million annually but he is has the highest salaried person in NBA (24 million).
1. Tiger Woods: He has not won a single tournament since the last two years and he has been involved a number of sex scandals, but all these factors doesn’t had any effect on his earnings. He remains to be the highest paid sportsperson in the world. His earnings stand at $75 million. Although he has lost about $22 million his cancelled deals with Accenture, Gatorade and AT&T.
