Who are the 5 athletes who earn the most money in the world: Messi, Cristiano Ronaldo or LeBron James

Sports have been giving athletes the possibility to earn millions and be famous persons, as it never happened before in history. The TV boom, plus the globalization generated this curious phenomenon of athlete’s superstars that are loved by fans and can bill fortunes per season.

When analyzing who is the best paid athlete in the world nowadays, we must look at Lionel Messi. The star that plays for FC Barcelona gains $110 million per season, according to the list published by Forbes recently. His contract with Barcelona is his biggest income, while sponsorships, as the one he has with Adidas, Gatorade, Mastercard, Pepsi, etc., complete the earnings.

Number two in the list is surprisingly not another soccer legend, but Roger Federer. The Swiss tennis star gains $107 million per year, with the big difference that almost all the money he gains arrives from endorsements. The incomes of Federer are also linked to the number of tournaments he gains, as that is how pro-tennis works nowadays.

 The first position is, with no doubts, for Cristiano Ronaldo. The Portuguese that plays for Juventus reports earnings for $105 million per season, considering his big salary with the Italian side ($60 million). Sponsorships, with Nike, Herbalife, Unilever and DAZN, among other international brands, complete the incomes.

A new record?

As Messi is set to leave Barcelona in five months, that mean that he could transform into the best paid player ever, as he is nowadays, with a new record. Paris Saint-Germain and Manchester City are willing to sign him, and they could be offering the Argentinian a millionaire contract bigger than the one he has at Barça.