The $1bn club: How Lionel Messi, LeBron James & Tiger Woods earned $1bn in salaries

Superstar sportsmen Lionel Messi, LeBron James and Tiger Woods are the only ones in history to have made up to $1bn in earnings during their career. The sporting icons have achieved this incredible feat whilst they ruled their respective sports. Beyond sports, they have also become household names, transcending the terrain of football, basketball and golf respectively to become global icons. We'll look at how they have racked up such incredible wealth from playing the sports they love.

Argentine forward, Lionel Messi is arguably the Greatest Footballer of All Time. He played for Spanish giants FC Barcelona for 18 senior seasons before sealing a move to Paris Saint-Germain this summer. The 6-time Ballon d'Or winner had very lucrative deals at Barcelona with his last contract with the Catalan club paying him in excess of €1m weekly. For the 4-year period that contract lasted, it meant Messi earned over €200m in salaries alone. He now earns a still impressive €35m annual salary at French giants, PSG.

Basketball icon, LeBron James started his NBA journey at Cleveland Cavaliers in 2003 when he earned an annual salary of $5.6m, rising to $18.8m before he left in 2010. At Miami Heats, the 4-time NBA All-star MVP winner earned over $75m in salaries alone over his 4-year stay. Another $115m in salaries over a 4-year period was earned in his return to Cleveland Cavaliers between 2014 and 2018. LeBron then negotiated a 4-year $153m deal to move to the Los Angeles Lakers in 2018. He has also extended this deal by 2 years on a revised $42.5m salary per year. LeBron James has earned a total of £374m from salaries while a further $700m has come from sponsorships and investments.

Golf icon, Tiger Woods is one of the most successful sportsmen of all time. He held a stranglehold on his sports for almost 2 decades, winning tours after tours. According to Forbes, since he became a professional golfer in 1996, the 45-year-old has earned over $1.5bn from endorsements, appearances and course design fees alone. In PGA Tours earnings, Tiger Woods ranks highest of all time, with an estimated $120.66m kitty.