FORBES has now crowned the highest paid athlete of the year and it looks like Cristiano Ronaldo is the runaway king. The Real Madrid superstar will be cashing in a whopping $88M, topping fellow La Liga legend Lionel Messi, who is slated to make $81.4M.
Among those on the Top 10 include basketball stars, golf pro’s and even a tennis player. LeBron James, Kevin Durant, Phil Mickelson and Kobe Bryant all top the list.
01. Cristiano Ronaldo (Salary: $52M, Endorsements: $32M)
02. Lionel Messi (Salary: $53.4M, Endorsements: $28M)
03. LeBron James (Salary: $23M, Endorsements: $54M
04. Roger Federer (Salary: $7.8M, Endorsements: $60M)
05. Kevin Durant (Salary: $20.2M, Endorsements: $36M)
06. Novak Djokovic (Salary: $21.8M, Endorsements: $34M)
07. Cam Newton (Salary: $41.1M, Endorsements: $12M)
08. Phil Mickelson (Salary: $2.9M, Endorsements: $50M)
09. Jordan Spieth (Salary: $20.8M, Endorsements: $32M)
10. Kobe Bryant (Salary: $25M, Endorsements: $25M)
Interestingly, Jordan Spieth is the youngest and most paid player on the list, Roger Federer tops the endorsement list (considering he made $60M and only $7.8 in winnings/salary), and Clayton Kershaw is the highest paid baseball player (ranking 33rd with $32M made). Joe Flacco is also the highest paid football player, coming in at 14th on the list with $44M made.
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