Top 10 Highest Earning Athletes in the World

Neymar has an income breakdown of: $76 million (from football) and $19 million (from endorsements). Total: $95 million. Born on February 5, 1992, Neymar, also known as Neymar Jr., is a Brazilian footballer playing as a forward for Paris Saint-Germain and the Brazil national team. Neymar rose to fame at Santos, starting his career at 17, where he helped the club win two Campeonato Paulista titles, the Copa do Brasil, and the 2011 Copa Libertadores, their first continental title since 1963. He was named South American Footballer of the Year in 2011 and 2012 before moving to Europe to join Barcelona. As part of Barcelona's attacking trio with Lionel Messi and Luis Suárez, Neymar helped the team secure a treble of La Liga, Copa del Rey, and UEFA Champions League titles in the 2014-2015 season, followed by a domestic double the next year. He won the FIFA Bronze Ball in 2015 and 2017. In August 2017, Neymar made a record-breaking move from Barcelona to Paris Saint-Germain for €200 million, making him the most expensive player in the world.

With 64 goals in 103 appearances for Brazil since his debut at 18, Neymar is Brazil's second-highest goal scorer. He played a key role in Brazil's victory at the 2011 South American Youth Championship, where he was the top scorer, and won the 2013 Confederations Cup, earning the tournament's Golden Ball. He participated in the 2014 FIFA World Cup and the 2015 Copa América, later taking time off due to injury. In 2016, Neymar led Brazil to their first Olympic gold medal in men's football at the Summer Olympics. Known for his dribbling, scoring, and ambidextrous playing style, Neymar has been compared to Brazilian football legend Pelé. On the field, he is one of the most recognized athletes globally; SportsPro named him the most marketable athlete in the world in 2012 and 2013, and ESPN ranked him as the fourth most famous athlete in the world in 2016.

Prescott, the American football quarterback, earned $92.5 million, setting an NFL record with a $66 million contract bonus from the Dallas Cowboys. Rayne Dakota Prescott, born on July 29, 1993, is the quarterback for the Dallas Cowboys in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Mississippi State and was selected by the Cowboys in the fourth round of the 2016 NFL Draft. Initially expected to be a backup in his rookie season, Prescott became the starting quarterback for the Cowboys after Tony Romo was injured. His remarkable on-field success included leading the Cowboys to the top seed in their conference. He set multiple rookie quarterback records and was named NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year, also earning a Pro Bowl selection.

Prescott returned as a backup for Russell in 2013 but took over as a starter when Russell was sidelined due to injury. He played in 11 games, completing 156 of 267 passes for 1,940 yards, 10 touchdowns, and 7 interceptions. Prescott gained national recognition and was included in several award watchlists, including being a finalist for the Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award, a semifinalist for the Maxwell Award, the Davey O'Brien Award, and the Walter Camp Player of the Year Award. He also made the watchlist for the Manning Award, Wuerffel Trophy, and Senior Bowl, winning the Senior CLASS Award and earning a place on the 2017 NCAA Today Top 10 list. During the season, Prescott threw for 3,793 yards, 29 touchdowns, and 10 rushing touchdowns. In his career, he ranks third in SEC history for total yards and fourth for total touchdowns, holding 38 records.

Next on the list is Kevin Durant with an income of $92.1 million, significantly higher than the $65.4 million he earned in 2019, when he ranked 10th. Kevin Wayne Durant, born on September 29, 1988, is a professional basketball player for the Brooklyn Nets in the National Basketball Association (NBA). Durant played one season of college basketball for the Texas Longhorns before being selected by the Seattle SuperSonics as the second overall pick in the 2007 NBA Draft. He spent nine seasons with the franchise, which became the Oklahoma City Thunder in 2008, before signing with the Golden State Warriors in 2016, where he won back-to-back NBA championships in 2017 and 2018. After suffering an Achilles injury during the 2019 NBA Finals, Durant joined the Brooklyn Nets as a free agent that summer. Durant is widely regarded as one of the greatest players of all time.

Durant was a highly touted high school prospect and was considered the second-best player in his class. In college, he won numerous end-of-season awards and became the first freshman to win the Naismith College Player of the Year award. As a professional, Durant has won two NBA championships, one NBA MVP award, two NBA Finals MVPs, two NBA All-Star Game MVPs, four NBA scoring titles, an NBA Rookie of the Year award, been named to ten All-NBA teams (including six First Teams), and selected to the NBA All-Star Game 12 times. In 2021, he was named to the NBA's 75th Anniversary Team. As a member of the USA Men's National Basketball Team, Durant has won three Olympic gold medals (2012, 2016, and 2020) and is the all-time leading scorer in Olympic men's basketball for the United States. He also earned a gold medal at the 2010 FIBA World Cup.

Next on the list is Roger Federer, who has an income breakdown of $30 million from on-court earnings and $90 million from endorsements, totaling $90.7 million. Born on August 8, 1981, Federer is a Swiss professional tennis player known by the nickname 'FedEx'. He is widely regarded by experts and former players as one of the greatest and most skilled tennis players of all time. Federer is also the wealthiest player in the sport and ranks among the richest athletes in history, with a net worth and earnings surpassing $1 billion. He holds numerous records in tennis, including 237 consecutive weeks as the world’s number one player in the ATP rankings from February 2, 2004, to August 17, 2008. He previously held the record for most total weeks at world number one, with 310 weeks, until Novak Djokovic broke it on March 8, 2021. Federer officially surpassed Pete Sampras’s record of 286 weeks as number one on July 16, 2012. He is also the only player in history to win five consecutive titles at both Wimbledon and the US Open.

Federer has claimed 20 Grand Slam titles, including a record eight Wimbledon victories, six Australian Open titles, five US Open championships, and one French Open title. He is one of only eight male players to have won all four Grand Slam tournaments. Additionally, he holds the record for the most Grand Slam finals appearances, having reached 31, including a remarkable streak of 10 consecutive finals from Wimbledon 2005 to US Open 2007. After winning his seventh Wimbledon title in 2012, Federer returned to the ATP world number one ranking and accumulated a total of 310 weeks at number one (as of May 21, 2018). Furthermore, he became the third player in the Open Era to reach 1,000 career wins. On February 19, 2018, Federer became the oldest player to ever hold the number one ranking at 36 years and 195 days, surpassing Andre Agassi's previous record of 33 years and 133 days. Federer also won an Olympic gold medal in men's doubles with Stan Wawrinka in 2008 and a silver medal in men's singles in 2012. Representing Switzerland, he was part of his country's team that won the Hopman Cup in 2001, 2018, and 2019, as well as the Davis Cup in 2014.

Canelo Alvarez earned $90 million in total income. Born on July 18, 1990, Santos Saúl 'Canelo' Álvarez Barragán is a professional Mexican boxer. He has been crowned world champion in four weight classes: light middleweight, middleweight, super middleweight, and light heavyweight, holding unified titles in three of these divisions. As of now, Álvarez is the undisputed super middleweight champion, holding all major titles including the WBA Super, WBC, The Ring since 2020, WBO since May, and IBF since November 2021. He became the sixth fighter in history to hold all four major world championship belts simultaneously.

Álvarez is known for his counterpunching ability, excelling in exploiting the gaps in his opponent's defense while maintaining mobility to evade their strikes and counterattack effectively. He is also highly regarded for his devastating body shots, particularly targeting the liver, which has been a key part of his successful attack strategy. As of June 2021, Álvarez was ranked as the number one pound-for-pound boxer in the world by BoxRec, The Ring, the Association of Boxing Writers of America, and TBRB. Furthermore, ESPN, The Ring, TBRB, and ESPN have recognized him as the best active super middleweight in the world.

Tom Brady has an impressive income breakdown: $45 million from football and nearly $40 million from other ventures, totaling $83.9 million. Born on August 3, 1977, Brady is a professional American football quarterback for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the NFL. He spent the first 20 seasons of his career with the New England Patriots, making 10 Super Bowl appearances and winning seven (XXXVI, XXXVIII, XXXIX, XLIX, LI, LIII, and LV), the most by any player in NFL history. Additionally, Brady holds the record for five Super Bowl MVPs (XXXVI, XXXVIII, XLIX, LI, and LV) and three NFL MVP awards (2007, 2010, 2017). Many consider Brady to be the greatest NFL player of all time.

After playing college football at Michigan, Brady was selected by the Patriots as the 199th overall pick in the 6th round of the 2000 NFL Draft, a move that would later be hailed as one of the biggest draft steals in NFL history. He became the starting quarterback in his second season, leading the Patriots to their first Super Bowl title in Super Bowl XXXVI. As the starting quarterback for 18 seasons, Brady guided the Patriots to 17 division titles (including 11 consecutive from 2009 to 2019), 13 AFC Championships (including eight straight from 2011 to 2018), and nine Super Bowl appearances with six victories, all NFL records for a player and franchise. In 2020, he joined the Buccaneers and led them to a Super Bowl LV victory, extending his personal record to 10 Super Bowl appearances and seven wins.

Giannis Antetokounmpo ranks at the bottom of this year's list with an income of $80.9 million. Born on December 6, 1994, Giannis is a professional Greek-Nigerian basketball player for the Milwaukee Bucks in the NBA. Raised in Athens by Nigerian immigrant parents, Antetokounmpo began playing basketball with the youth teams of Filathlitikos in Athens. In 2011, he moved up to play for the senior team before entering the NBA draft in 2013, where he was selected 15th overall by the Bucks. During the 2016-2017 season, he led the Bucks in every major statistical category and became the first player in NBA history to finish a regular season in the top 20 in points, rebounds, assists, steals, and blocks. He was named Most Improved Player in 2017.

Antetokounmpo has received six All-Star selections, including being named an All-Star team captain in both 2019 and 2020, when he topped the Eastern Conference in voting both years. One of the NBA’s most popular players, Giannis won back-to-back MVP awards in 2019 and 2020, joining Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and LeBron James as the only players in NBA history to earn two MVPs before turning 26. In addition to his MVP honors, he was named NBA Defensive Player of the Year in 2020, becoming only the third player after Michael Jordan (1988) and Hakeem Olajuwon (1994) to win both the MVP and Defensive Player of the Year awards in the same season. In 2021, Giannis led the Bucks to their first NBA championship since 1971 and was named the Finals MVP. That same year, he was also named one of the greatest players in NBA history as part of the NBA’s 75th Anniversary Team.

Lionel Messi earned a staggering $130 million in 2020 and the first half of 2021, with a record-breaking $674 million contract with Barcelona. Messi’s income from football was $96 million, while his off-field earnings totaled $33 million. Born on June 24, 1987, Lionel Andrés Messi, also known as Leo Messi, is an Argentine professional footballer who currently plays as a forward for Paris Saint-Germain and captains the Argentina national football team. Widely regarded as the best footballer in the world and one of the greatest players of all time, Messi holds the record for winning the Ballon d'Or seven times, the European Golden Shoe six times, and in 2020 was named to the Ballon d'Or Dream Team. Before leaving Barcelona in 2021, he spent his entire career at the club, where he won a record 35 major titles, including 10 La Liga titles, 7 Copa del Rey trophies, and 4 UEFA Champions League titles.

As a prolific goal-scorer and top assist provider, Messi holds several records, including the most goals scored in La Liga (474), the most goals in a single La Liga season (50), the most hat-tricks in La Liga (36) and the UEFA Champions League (8), the most assists in La Liga (192), the most assists in a single La Liga season (21), and the most assists in Copa América (17). He also holds the record for the most international goals by a South American male player (81). With over 750 career goals for both club and country, Messi is the highest goal scorer of all time for a single club. Born and raised in central Argentina, Messi moved to Spain at the age of 13 and joined Barcelona, making his first-team debut at 17 on October 16, 2004, under Frank Rijkaard. He quickly became a key player for the club in the following three years, and in his first injury-free season, helped Barcelona achieve their first-ever treble in Spanish football history.

Ranking second is basketball superstar LeBron James with a total income of $121.2 million, setting a new record within the NBA. Born on December 30, 1984, LeBron James is a professional basketball player from the United States, currently playing for the Los Angeles Lakers in the National Basketball Association (NBA). LeBron is considered one of the greatest basketball players of all time and is often compared to Michael Jordan. His career achievements include four NBA championships, four NBA MVP Awards, four NBA Finals MVP Awards, and two Olympic gold medals.

LeBron James made it to eight consecutive NBA Finals from 2011 to 2018. He currently leads the all-time NBA playoff scoring list, is third in overall NBA scoring, and ranks eighth in career assists. He has been named to the All-NBA First Team 12 times and has appeared on the All-Defensive First Team five times. Additionally, LeBron has participated in 16 NBA All-Star games, earning the MVP award three times. LeBron began his basketball career at St. Vincent-St. Mary High School in his hometown of Akron, Ohio, where he impressed with an average of 25.2 points and 5.8 assists per game, and was expected to become an NBA superstar.

Next up is Portuguese football star Cristiano Ronaldo with a total income of $115 million. Of this, $70 million comes from his on-field earnings, while $50 million is derived from off-field ventures. Born on February 5, 1985, Cristiano Ronaldo is a professional footballer for Manchester United and captain of the Portugal national team. Considered one of the greatest players in history, Ronaldo has won 5 Ballon d'Or awards and 4 European Golden Shoes, both of which are records for a European player. Throughout his career, he has secured 32 major trophies, including 7 domestic league titles, 5 UEFA Champions League titles, 1 UEFA European Championship, and 1 UEFA Nations League title. Ronaldo also holds numerous records, including the most international appearances (188) and the most international goals (117) among European players, as well as being the all-time top scorer in UEFA Champions League history (140 goals) and the top scorer in the UEFA European Championship (14 goals). Having surpassed 1,100 appearances and 800 career goals for both club and country, Ronaldo's place in football history is cemented.

As one of the most marketable athletes globally, Ronaldo was ranked the highest-paid athlete by Forbes in 2016 and 2017, and named the most famous athlete by ESPN from 2016 to 2019. Time also listed him among the 100 most influential people in the world in 2014. Ronaldo became the first footballer, and the third athlete overall, to earn $1 billion during his career. On March 12, 2022, he scored a hat-trick in a 3-2 victory over Tottenham, bringing his total goal tally to 807. While some argue that Josef Bican holds the record with 821 goals, Ronaldo is widely regarded as the greatest goal scorer in professional football. On April 16, he netted his 50th club hat-trick in a 3-2 win over Norwich City. A week later, he scored his 100th Premier League goal in a 1-3 defeat to Arsenal. In April 2022, he was named Premier League Player of the Month.