The 10 highest paid athletes in 2021: Messi, Conor McGregor, LeBron James, Tom Brady and more

The pandemic has also remembered the world of sports, although not all have been affected in the same way. The ten highest paid athletes in the world have billed a gross income before taxes of 1.050 million dollars during the last 12 months, which represents an increase of 28% compared to the previous year.

The total posted is close to the record of $ 1.06 billion recorded in 2018 when boxer Floyd Mayweather earned $ 285 million, almost all from his showdown with Conor McGregor. Ironies of life, this year it is precisely McGregor who for the first time leads this classification.

Conor McGregor

The Irishman raised $ 180 million in the past 12 months - most of it coming from the sale of his majority stake in the Proper No. Twelve whiskey brand to Proximo Spirits for $ 150 million. It's not the first McGregor has appeared in the top 10 of the rankings: He landed at No. 4 with $ 99 million in 2018 after the Mayweather fight.

Adding up his endorsements, McGregor earned $ 158 million off his wrestling career in the past 12 months, becoming the third athlete, after Roger Federer and Tiger Woods, to earn more than $ 70 million off the field in a single. year while still actively competing.

Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo

Soccer stars Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo and NFL quarterback Dak Prescott also surpass $ 100 million in total earnings.

Below that figure is LeBron James with $ 96.5 million, a record for NBA players.

Taken together, the top 10 in the rankings earned a total of $ 512 million off the pitch, crushing the previous record of $ 407.5 million from 2020. However, this is not to say that Covid-19 is absent. invoiced to the income of athletes:

These are the 10 highest paid athletes in the world in 2021:

Conor McGregor (mixed martial arts): $ 180 million

Lionel Messi (footballer): 130 million

Cristiano Ronaldo (footballer): 120 million

Dak Prescott (football player): 107.5 million

LeBron James (basketball player): 96.5 million

Neymar (footballer): 95 million

Roger Federer (tennis player): 90 million

Lewis Hamilton (motorsports driver): 82 million

Tom Brady (football player): 76 million

Kevin Durant (basketball player): 75 million