List of top earners in sports
Ronaldo is number 1 in the world for the first time since 2017
December 27, 2023, 2:24 p.m
Only one woman will make it into the top ten athletes with the highest incomes in 2023 – and she has already ended her career. After a long time, Cristiano Ronaldo is in first place again. The Saudi Arabian investment in sport is evident in the list.
In terms of sport, long-term rivals Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi have allowed themselves to be reduced to insignificance. Financially, however, the football superstars returned to the top of the top earners in sport in the late autumn of their careers – with a slight advantage for the Portuguese.
Thanks to the hefty contract with Al-Nassr in Saudi Arabia, Ronaldo is the top international earner for the first time since 2017. According to Forbes magazine, the 2016 European champion earned around 126 million euros (gross) over the course of 2023. Almost six million euros more than the Argentinian Messi in second place, who has been wearing the jersey of Beckham’s club Inter Miami since last summer and his departure from Paris. In addition, Messi is also paid handsomely from Saudi Arabia as a tourism ambassador, just like Ronaldo.
Another footballer is in third place: Kylian Mbappé, striker from Paris St. Germain, which has been pumped up with billions from Qatar, recorded around 111 million euros in income. The continent on which they play a sport does not seem to play a significant role in their salary. However, the top is dominated by players who have become immeasurably rich from fossil raw materials.
A big name and good marketing outweigh the sporting relevance. This is also shown by the position of tennis pensioner Roger Federer in the ranking. The 42-year-old Swiss had already played his last official career game in 2022, but in 2023 he still ended up in ninth place on the list with income of around 88 million euros.
The non-football Croesus comes from the NBA
Serena Williams, who is the first woman on the list in 49th place, also benefits from perfect marketing – but the “gender pay gap” also affects her here. Like Federer, the 23-time Grand Slam winner also ended her career in 2022. Nevertheless, the 42-year-old still recorded around 41.5 million in income in 2023, making her the highest-paid athlete of the year.
According to Forbes, prize money, salaries and bonus payments are included in the surveys. There is also sponsorship income, entry fees and license fees for marketing products. All figures are estimated before taxes and without payments to agents.
As with Ronaldo, the move to the desert paid off for the American golfers Dustin Johnson and Phil Mickelson. The two major winners left the prestigious PGA Tour and are now playing on the Saudi Arabian LIV Tour, whose owner (Saudi Arabia’s state investment fund PIF) will soon also take over the PGA Tour. With 99 million (Johnson) and 98 million euros (Mickelson), the two golf greats are in sixth and seventh place.
The Croesus among non-football players is currently one of three NBA players in the top ten, basketball superstar LeBron James. With around 110 million euros, the 38-year-old narrowly missed the podium in fourth place. Stephen Curry from the Golden State Warriors (93 million euros, eighth place) and Kevin Durant from the Phoenix Suns (82 million, tenth place) are a little further down. The top ten is completed by an exotic: The multiple boxing world champion Canelo Alvarez from Mexico took in almost 101 million euros and is therefore in fifth place behind James.