Forbes today announced the World’s Top 10 Highest-Paid Athletes ranking, who collectively earned over $1 billion over the last 12 months. MMA fighter Conor McGregor takes the No. 1 spot for the first time ever.
McGregor earned $180 million this year, $158 million of which was made out of the ring – landing him in the top 10 for the second time.
Lionel Messi, who ranks No. 2 on this year’s list, sets a record for the highest-earning soccer player after bringing home $130 million over the last year. Cristiano Ronaldo moves to No. 3 this year, bringing home $120 million.
The top ten highest-paid athletes earned at least $75 million, the highest cut-off since Forbes began tracking athlete earnings in 1990, and set the record for the largest amount of money made off the field. Of the ten athletes on this year’s ranking, four are making over $100 million, another record for the list.
Rounding out the top five highest-paid athletes are Dallas Cowboys’ Dak Prescott and Los Angeles Lakers’ LeBron James, who earned $107.5 and $96.5 million respectively. Prescott sets a record for the highest-earning football star, while James sets the record for highest-earning basketball player.
Methodology:
Our earnings include prize money, salaries and bonuses earned between May 1, 2020, and May 1, 2021. Endorsement incomes are an estimate of sponsorships, appearance fees and licensing incomes for the same 12-month period based on conversations with industry insiders. We do not deduct for taxes or agents’ fees, and we don’t include investment income.