Top 10 Highest Paid Athletes in the World 2022

Top 10 Highest Paid Athletes in the World 2022, Off the field, the top ten athletes hauled in an estimated $500 million from endorsements, appearances, memorabilia, licensing fees, cash returns from businesses they operate, and equity stakes they sold. That’s nearly flat from last year’s record $512 million.

He might not be at his best from a sporting point of view, but that doesn’t stop Lionel Messi from collecting some checks at the end of the month. According to Forbes’ latest ranking, the Argentine soccer wizard has been the highest-paid athlete in the world for the past twelve months, earning $130 million between May 1, 2021, and May 1, 2022.

Messi is joined in the $100 million club by LeBron James and his arch-rival Cristiano Ronaldo, with the other top eight earners earning between $90 million and $95 million last year. When comparing Top 10 Highest Paid Athletes in the World 2022, wages on and off the field, the findings vary greatly depending on who you’re searching for. Meanwhile, most of this year’s top earners have similar wages and ad profits, with Roger Federer and Canelo Álvarez being notable outliers.

While Roger Federer, who hasn’t touched a racket in a year owing to injury, made almost all of his $91 million from different endorsement deals, Mexican boxer Canelo Álvarez made only $5 million outside the ring and $85 million within it. Álvarez would have tied for top place with Lionel Messi if the $40 million he supposedly earned for his May 7 loss to Dmitry Bivol had not fallen barely outside Forbes‘ monitoring timeframe.

It is no secret that the current Covid-19 pandemic has dramatically diminished athletic activities throughout the world; empty stadiums and sports plazas were visible and renowned; nonetheless, certain players have continued to expand their already bulging bank balances.

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Table of Contents

Highest-Paid Athlete

List of Top 10 Highest Paid Athletes in the World in 2022

#10. GIANNIS ANTETOKOUNMPO

$80.9 MILLION
On-Field: $39.9 Million
Off-Field: $41 Million
Age: 27
Sport: Basketball
Nationality: Greece

#09. TOM BRADY

#9. $83.9 MILLION
On-Field: $31.9 Million
Off-Field: $52 Million
Age: 44 Sport: Football
Nationality: U.S.

#08. CANELO ALVAREZ

$90 MILLION
On-Field: $85 Million
Off-Field: $5 Million
Age: 31
Sport: Boxing
Nationality: Mexico

#07. ROGER FEDERER

$90.7 MILLION
On-Field: $0.7 Million
Off-Field: $90 Million
Age: 40
Sport: Tennis
Nationality: Switzerland

#06. KEVIN DURANT

$92.1 MILLION
On-Field: $42.1 Million
Off-Field: $50 Million
Age: 33
Sport: Basketball
Nationality: U.S.

#5. STEPHEN CURRY

$92.8 MILLION
On-Field: $45.8 Million
Off-Field: $47 Million
Age: 34
Sport: Basketball
Nationality: U.S.

#4. NEYMAR Jr.

$95 MILLION
On-Field: $70 Million
Off-Field: $25 Million
Age: 30
Sport: Soccer
Nationality: Brazil

#3. CRISTIANO RONALDO

$115 MILLION
On-Field: $60 Million
Off-Field: $55 Million
Age: 37
Sport: Soccer
Nationality: Portugal

#2. LEBRON JAMES

$121.2 MILLION
On-Field: $41.2 Million
Off-Field: $80 Million
Age: 37
Sport: Basketball
Nationality: U.S.

#1. LIONEL MESSI

$130 MILLION
On-Field: $75 Million
Off-Field: $55 Million
Age: 34
Sport: Soccer/football
Nationality: Argentina

The list of Top 10 Highest Paid Athletes in the World 2022 of the field. In 2022, the top 100 highest-paid athletes received almost $5.2 billion. Sports have traditionally been one of the industries that best remunerates its members, with celebrities such as soccer player Lionel Messi, American football player Tom Brady, and basketball player LeBron James amassing massive fortunes throughout their careers. As a result, we’ve compiled a list of the top ten highest-paid athletes in 2022.

The list of Top 10 Highest Paid Athletes in the World 2022 of the field. Several athletes have had a record year in terms of wages Footballers and the highest-paid NFL player of all time made a significant portion of their fortunes last year, primarily from endorsement deals and sponsorships from private corporations.

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GIANNIS ANTETOKOUNMPO

The list of Top 10 Highest Paid Athletes in the World 2022 at number 10

#10. $80.9 MILLION

On-Field: $39.9 Million
Off-Field: $41 Million
Age: 27
Sport: Basketball
Nationality: Greece

Giannis Antetokounmpo is the only member of this year’s top 10 who is still in his twenties, with Neymar turning 30 in February. The two-time MVP of the Milwaukee Bucks agreed to a five-year, $228 million contract in December 2020, making it the NBA’s highest contract by total value to date. He participated in the $165 million fundraising round announced in November for wristwatch resale portal WatchBox, and he has also struck a license agreement with NFT platform NFTSTAR and added WhatsApp and Google’s Pixel 6 phone to his endorsement stable. And Antetokounmpo’s life story will be told in the film Rise, which will be released on Disney+ in June.

TOM BRADY

The list of Top 10 Highest Paid Athletes in the World 2022 at number 09

#9. $83.9 MILLION

On-Field: $31.9 Million
Off-Field: $52 Million
Age: 44 Sport: Football
Nationality: U.S.

Tom Brady’s retirement this offseason lasted less than six weeks, which was good news for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers after he had a fantastic 2021 season at the age of 43. Off the field, he’s surely picking up some new skills. Brady co-founded the NFT platform Autograph last year, which raised $170 million in a Series B funding round announced in January, and Religion of Sports, which he co-founded with Pro Football Hall of Famer Michael Strahan and filmmaker Gotham Chopra, announced a content deal with Skydance Sports in March.

Meanwhile, his second production firm, 199 Productions, is responsible for the upcoming road-trip film 80 for Brady, and he has a new clothing brand called BRADY. When it comes time for Brady to retire from football, he already has a lucrative job lined up as a Fox Sports pundit. According to the New York Post, that contract will pay him more than he has made on the field in 22 NFL seasons—$375 million over ten years.

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CANELO ALVAREZ

The list of Top 10 Highest Paid Athletes in the World 2022 at number 08

#8. $90 MILLION

On-Field: $85 Million
Off-Field: $5 Million
Age: 31
Sport: Boxing
Nationality: Mexico

Canelo Alvarez is boxing’s biggest attraction, having earned $40 million or more from his two pay-per-view triumphs in May and November of last year. (His defeat against light-heavyweight champion Dmitry Bivol on May 7, 2022, occurred outside of Forbes‘ monitoring period for this ranking.) Aside from boxing, Alvarez has a profitable contract with Hennessy and runs a taco restaurant in his home country of Mexico, with intentions to expand to California. Alvarez said last year that he is building a gas station network, and his Canelo Promotions is organising a series of fights in Mexico in collaboration with Matchroom Boxing and DAZN.

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ROGER FEDERER

The list of Top 10 Highest Paid Athletes in the World 2022 at number 07

#7. $90.7 MILLION

On-Field: $0.7 Million
Off-Field: $90 Million
Age: 40
Sport: Tennis
Nationality: Switzerland

Injuries limited Roger Federer to just six events in 2020 and 2021, and he has yet to return to the court in 2022. Regardless, the world’s former No. 1 player is still the best sports pitchman, endorsing businesses like Uniqlo and Rolex. In 2019, he also invested in the rising Swiss shoe business On, which went public in September, raising more than $600 million. Federer told Forbes at the time, “We work extremely closely together on product creation.” Federer had spent 20 days in the lab with the On team building the company’s pro tennis shoe.

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KEVIN DURANT

The list of Top 10 Highest Paid Athletes in the World 2022 at number 06

#6. $92.1 MILLION

On-Field: $42.1 Million
Off-Field: $50 Million
Age: 33
Sport: Basketball
Nationality: U.S.

Kevin Durant of the Brooklyn Nets receives roughly $28 million from Nike each year, second only to LeBron James ($32 million) among active players. He recently announced collaborations with Coinbase, NBA Top Shot, and Weedmaps, but his business empire includes media company Boardroom and investment firm Thirty-Five Ventures. His most recent investments include the NFT platform OpenSea, the digital fitness startup Future, and SeatGeek’s SPAC merger. Durant and his longstanding business partner, Rich Kleiman, also revealed last year that they will form their own SPAC, which is still seeking a buyer.

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STEPHEN CURRY

The list of Top 10 Highest Paid Athletes in the World 2022 at number 05

#5. $92.8 MILLION

On-Field: $45.8 Million
Off-Field: $47 Million
Age: 34
Sport: Basketball
Nationality: U.S.

No NBA player made more money than Stephen Curry this season, and the Golden State Warriors guard is ready for a raise after signing a four-year, $215 million contract deal in August.

He’ll earn almost $48 million next season, increasing to slightly under $60 million in 2025-26. Curry’s new FTX sponsorship agreement included an ownership share, and he delved deeper into blockchain in December, launching a set of NFTs featuring his sneakers and linked to three metaverse platforms. (He promised to contribute the money.) Meanwhile, Unanimous Media, Curry’s production firm, secured a development contract with Comcast NBCUniversal in September.

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NEYMAR Jr.

The list of Top 10 Highest Paid Athletes in the World 2022 at number 04

#4. $95 MILLION

On-Field: $70 Million
Off-Field: $25 Million
Age: 30
Sport: Soccer
Nationality: Brazil

Neymar scored his 400th career goal in November but, like Lionel Messi, was criticized after Paris Saint-Germain’s early Champions League exit.
His attention will now turn to the World Cup in Qatar this fall, which he believes could be his last.

Off the field, he has numerous endorsements, including those from Puma and Red Bull, and he is the subject of a new Netflix docuseries, Neymar: The Perfect Chaos.

He’s also dabbling in NFTs, having signed up with the platform NFTSTAR in November and spending over $1 million on two Bored Ape Yacht Club NFTs in one day in January.

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CRISTIANO RONALDO

The list of Top 10 Highest Paid Athletes in the World 2022 at number 03

#3. $115 MILLION

On-Field: $60 Million
Off-Field: $55 Million
Age: 37
Sport: Soccer
Nationality: Portugal

Cristiano Ronaldo like his rival Lionel Messi has had a disappointing first season with his new team Manchester United, who are currently sixth in the Premier League standings with a game to play.

Rumors are rife that Ronaldo, who previously played for Manchester United from 2003 to 2009, could be on the move again this summer.

Much of Ronaldo’s earning power comes from his massive social media presence: he has 690 million followers on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter, allowing him to command sky-high prices from sponsors such as Nike, Herbalife, and Clear shampoo.

He also owns Tatel restaurants, including a new location in Beverly Hills, and is the face of ZujuGP, a new app that aims to be a digital soccer community.

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LEBRON JAMES

The list of Top 10 Highest Paid Athletes in the World 2022 at number 02

#2. $121.2 MILLION

On-Field: $41.2 Million
Off-Field: $80 Million
Age: 37
Sport: Basketball
Nationality: U.S.

The Los Angeles Lakers missed the playoffs this season, but LeBron James has never been more dominant off the court. He appeared in Space Jam: A New Legacy last year and recently moved his HBO talk show, The Shop, to YouTube.

According to Forbes, he sold a significant minority stake in SpringHill, the production company behind both projects, in October for about $725 million, bringing his net worth to $850 million.

James appeared in a Super Bowl commercial alongside a computer-generated version of his younger self after announcing an endorsement deal with Crypto.com in January.

He has also recently invested in Tonal, a home gym company, and status, a sports technology startup that develops virtual reality training products.

How much is LeBron James’ Nike contract worth?

While the terms of James’ lifetime Nike contract — the first of its kind — were never officially disclosed, it was revealed that the partnership was worth more than the $300 million 10-year contract signed by Kevin Durant with Nike. That would put James’s contract at well over $30 million per year.

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LIONEL MESSI

The list of Top 10 Highest Paid Athletes in the World 2022 at number 01

#1. $130 MILLION

On-Field: $75 Million
Off-Field: $55 Million
Age: 34
Sport: Soccer
Nationality: Argentina

Lionel Messi’s $20 million-per-year deal with partners expands his endorsement portfolio, which already includes Adidas, Budweiser, and PepsiCo.

In a deal announced last June, he also became Hard Rock International’s first athlete brand ambassador, allowing Messi to match Manchester United’s Cristiano Ronaldo in off-field earnings for the first time since 2013.

Messi won the Ballon d’Or as the world’s best men’s soccer player in 2021 but has struggled on the field recently, scoring 38 goals in 47 games for Barcelona and Paris Saint-Germain in his last season. He scored 9goals in 32 matches for Germain.

Despite exiting the Champions League in the Round of 16, PSG won the French Ligue 1 title in Messi’s first season.

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METHODOLOGY

On-discipline earnings data provided using Forbes includes all prize money, salaries, and bonuses earned between May 1, 2021, and May 1, 2022.
In cases where gamers are paid for a regular season after May that ends with their use within the NBA and European soccer, we assign salaries for the entire season.
Contains playoff bonuses for the 2021 NFL season and the 2020-21 NBA season.