Who are the highest earning athletes in the world, putting into consideration their respective on-and-off field earnings, which include prize money, salaries and bonuses earned between May 1, 2022 and May 1, 2023?
The nature of a top athlete’s maximum contracts or salary caps often has a significant impact on their earnings. At the same time, merchandise deals also come with more juicy figures, which skyrocket their earnings through a calendar year.
Having said that, who makes the top 10 list of the highest earning athletes in the world, according to Forbes in 2023?
Kevin Durant – (£72m, Phoenix Suns)
If there’s any basketball player who is one of the most gifted scorers and one of the most naturally gifted to ever graced the slam and dunk court, it’s KD, who plays for the Phoenix Suns.
Durant was traded from the Brooklyn Nets to the Suns in February, and he has since been one of the best players in the Western Conference alongside Devin Booker and DeAndre Ayton.
Durant ranks 10th in the world as one of the highest-earning athletes with an eye-watering take-home of £72million, considering his on-and-off field earnings that include his salaries, investments and merchandise deals.
Roger Federer – (£76m, Tennis)
Legendary tennis player Roger Federer is the only tennis star included in this year’s ranking, and he’s placed in ninth position ahead of Kevin Durant.
Federer announced his retirement from professional tennis back in September, yet the Swiss legend maintains plenty of his lucrative partnerships off the court, which skyrocket his earnings to £76million.
What also helps in improving his earnings includes his recent licensing agreement for his RF brands with eyewear maker Oliver Peoples.
Stephen Curry – (£81m, Golden State Warriors)
Another basketball player on the list who plays as a point guard for the Golden State Warriors is the eighth highest-paid athlete on the planet presently with a mouthwatering £81million.
Curry is undoubtedly an all-time great in the basketball world, having consistently shown himself on the grandest of stages in the basketball world with his ability as a professional player.
While the Golden State Warriors star absolutely didn’t make the ranking by chance, it must be noted that he’s paid his dues by investing in a lot of businesses, and recently, he also invested in a VR platform, Golf+, founded by Tiger Woods and Rory McIlroy.
Phil Mickelson – (£85m, Golf)
The seventh highest-paid athlete in the world is no other than Golf star Phil Mickelson with a mouthwatering take-home of £85million.
Mickelson gave his new tour a performance to be proud of at the Masters last month, where he posted a resounding final-round 65 to finish in a tie for the second spot with his LIV Golf mate Brooks Koepka.
The Golf-star surpassed $1billion in career pre-tax earnings last year, and has shed sponsors since teaming up with LIV Golf, but that doesn’t affect his earnings as he wisely invests in businesses off the golf field.
Dustin Johnson – (£86m, Golf)
Johnson was the first star to jump to LIV Golf last year, and he finished the year 2022 with a tour best of $35.6million in prize money, including $18million for winning the season-long individual championship.
While Johnson’s decision to jump on the LIV Golf may have cost him some sponsors, the good thing about his decision is that he made a mouthwatering payday that ranks him among the highest-paid athletes in the world.
Canelo Alvarez – (£88m, Boxing)
Alvarez is known to collect tens of millions of dollars every time he steps in the ring, scoring big with blockbuster fights against top opponents like Gennadiy Golovkin and Dmitry Bivol.
Placing fifth in the world as one of the highest earning athletes isn’t by chance, because he has a list of endorsements which includes Hennessy, Michelob Ultra, Yaoca drink and Fitness App I Can.
LeBron James – (£95m, Basketball)
LeBron is an amazing basketball player whose name will forever go down in the history of the game as one of the best ever to take to the court.
Aside from the fact that LeBron James is a top basketball player, it must be noted that the American is also a very successful founder and investor in terms of entrepreneurial spirit.
As one of the highest-paid athletes in the world with a mouthwatering paycheck of £95million, the Los Angeles Lakers forward is behind top sports brands that include sports nutrition company Ladder and the Springhill Company, which develops and produces entertainment content.
Kylian Mbappe – (£96m, Paris Saint-Germain)
The France international has been the highest-paid player at Parc des Princes, taking home the heftiest salary in world football presently with an astonishing £63million-a-year pay.
Mbappe been a debutant on this list, became the first player ambassador for Sorare, a cryptocurrency-based fantasy game, which increases his paycheck to rank as a top athlete in the beautiful game of football.
Lionel Messi – (£104m, Paris Saint-Germain)
What more can we say about the greatness of Lionel Messi as a footballer? Absolutely nothing because the Argentine is undoubtedly one of the finest players of his generation.
La Pulga is ranked second on the list as one of the highest-earning athletes in the world, with an eye-watering paycheck of £104million, which includes salaries, investments, and endorsement deals.
As a current winner of the FIFA World Cup in Qatar, plus being a global icon in the world of football, seeing him on the top 10 list of Forbes gives credence to his iconic name as a brand.
Cristiano Ronaldo – (£109m, Al-Nassr)
The Portuguese international endured a difficult end of 2022 on the pitch after falling out of favour at Manchester United, which led to an explosive interview with Piers Morgan that brought his second stint at Old Trafford to an abrupt end.
The 38-year-old, after leaving United, teamed up with Saudi Arabian side Al-Nassr in January for a staggering £175million a year contract.
That lucrative deal he signed with the Saudi Arabian side is the reason why he’s ranked the number one highest-paid athlete in the world presently.
Article updated 6 days ago. Content is written and modified by multiple authors.
