There are eight NBA players, four golfers, four soccer players, three race car drivers, two NFL players, two tennis players, a fighter and a runner.
Also, only one cricketer made the top 100 list of Forbes’ highest-paid athletes in 2017.
And that cricketer, of course, is none other than Virat Kohli, the biggest superstar in the sport today.
Many of the players were able to capitalize off their fame to gain even more wealth. For example, former Broncos quarterback Peyton Manning was able to earn $480 million after becoming a spokesman for Nationwide, DirecTV, Gatorade and Papa John’s, Forbes reports.
1. Cristiano Ronaldo: $93 million
Salary/bonuses: $58 million
Endorsements: $35 million
2. LeBron James: $86.2 million
Salary/bonuses: $31.2 million
Endorsements: $55 million
3. Lionel Messi: $80 million
Salary/bonuses: $53 million
Endorsements: $27 million
4. Roger Federer: $64 million
Prize money: $6 million
Endorsements: $58 million
5. Kevin Durant: $60.6 million
Salary/bonuses: $26.6 million
Endorsements: $34 million
6. Rory McIlroy: $50 million
Prize money: $16 million
Endorsements: $34 million
7. Andrew Luck: $50 million
Salary/bonuses: $47 million
Endorsements: $3 million
8. Stephen Curry: $47.3 million
Salary/bonuses: $12.3 million
Endorsements: $35 million
9. James Harden: $46.6 million
Salary/bonuses: $26.6 million
Endorsements: $20 million
10. Lewis Hamilton: $46 million
Salary/bonuses: $38 million
Endorsements: $8 million
The Ronaldo vs Messi debate has divided the globe over the years. But there is no doubt about who has won the race for the richest honour consistently. The Real Madrid icon is an advertiser’s dream. The Portuguese also seems to be incapable of forgetting how to score goals.