Professional athletes earn a significant amount of money, not only through their sports salaries but also through other sources like endorsements, brand partnerships and business deals.
As of this year, the highest-paid athletes earn between $85.6 million to $285 million annually with their wealth coming from various sports like soccer, football, basketball and golf.
Let’s take a look at the immense wealth of the top 5 richest athletes in the world:
Faiq Bolkiah:
Faiq Bolkiah’s wealth is 12 times greater than the combined net worth of Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi. Bolkiah, who is the nephew of the Sultan of Brunei, was born in Los Angeles.
He plays for Ratchaburi FC. Faiq is known for playing football but his immense wealth primarily comes from his family’s fortune, which is estimated to be over $30 billion.
Cristiano Ronaldo:
Cristiano Ronaldo, the highest-paid athlete in the world, earns significant amounts from both his soccer and various brand partnerships.
His current contract with the Saudi Arabian soccer team, Al Nassr earns him about $200 million annually. In the previous year, he made $220 million from playing soccer and $65 million from other business activities.
He also has profitable brand partnerships with companies like Herbalife, his own CR7 brand and a lifetime deal with Nike.
Jon Rahm:
Jon Rahm, a professional golfer, earned a total of $218 million in the previous year. He left the PGA Tour in 2023 to join the LIV Golf League, under a multiyear contract worth over $350 million.
Rahm earned $198 million from playing golf and $20 million from other business activities.
Lionel Messi:
Football star Lionel Messi earned a total of $135 million. He earned $65 million from playing soccer with Major League Soccer team Inter Miami and $70 million from business activities like sponsorship deals.
Messi also has partnerships with major brands like Pepsi, Adidas, Apple and Lowes.
He also has his own clothing brand and owns a large amount of real estate as well.
LeBron James:
LeBron James, an NBA All-Star forward for the Los Angeles Lakers earns $48.7 million from his salary.
He is currently the highest-paid NBA player and also the first active NBA player to reach a net worth of $1 billion in 2022.
Some of his major brand endorsements include Nike, DraftKings and PepsiCo.
