#1 Mayweather
Mayweather earned $105 million during the past 12 months for 72 minutes of work in the ring for fights against Canelo Alvarez and Marcos Maidana. The payday puts Mayweather atop Forbes’ annual list of the world’s highest-paid athletes for the second time in three years. Mayweather is the first athlete, besides Tiger Woods, to crack the $100 million earnings threshold (Michael Jordan, Michael Schumacher and Mike Tyson have also turned the trick on an inflation-adjusted basis)
#2. Cristiano Ronaldo
Real Madrid and Portugal national team star Cristiano Ronaldo leads a group of 15 soccer players in the top 100. Ronaldo ranks second overall with total earnings of $80 million. We estimate his pre-tax Real Madrid salary, including bonuses, at $52 million for the past 12 month (Ronaldo’s salary net of taxes is often reported in the press). Ronaldo has 11 endorsement partners like Emirates, Nike, Samsung Electronics and Toyota Motor that generate $28 million a year in income. Real Madrid locked up the reigning player of the year in September for five more years in a deal worth $200 million, plus bonuses. Ronaldo has one of the biggest social media followings on the planet with 83 million Facebook fans and 26 million Twitter followers
#3. LeBron James
LeBron James ranks third with earnings of $72.3 million. James is the NBA’s biggest endorsement star, thanks to deals with Nike, McDonald's, Coca-Cola , Upper Deck and others. Sales of his signature Nike shoes were tops among active players at $300 million in the U.S. during 2013, according to research firm SportsOneSource, and his jersey was the NBA’s best-seller. James also made millions from Apple purchase of Beats by Dre for $3 billion.
#4. Lionel Messi
Lionel Messi ranks fourth at $64.7 million. His streak of four straight FIFA Ballon d’Or awards given to the world’s best soccer player was broken in January by Ronaldo. The two compete on the pitch as the stars of the sport’s two biggest clubs, Barcelona and Real Madrid. In May, Messi signed his seventh contract in 11 years with Barca. The deal is expected to slightly exceed Ronaldo’s pact on an annual basis. They also vie for sponsor dollars as the premier figures in the world’s biggest sport. Messi’s endorsement portfolio includes Adidas, Electronic Arts, Gillette, Herbalife, Pepsi and Turkish Airlines.
#5. Kobe Bryant
Rounding out the top five is NBA legend Kobe Bryant at $61.5 million. Bryant had the highest salary in the NBA for the fourth straight year during the 2013-14 season. His $30.5 million salary is nearly $8 million higher than any other player. He inked a two-year, $48.5 million contract extension in November that will keep his on-court salary tops in the NBA. Bryant missed all but six games of the 2013-14 season after a fracture in his left knee, but his jersey was still the NBA’s third best seller during the season after James and Kevin Durant. His deals with the likes of Turkish Air, Lenovo, Hublot, Nike and Panini are worth $30 million annually. Bryant invested $4-6 million this year to buy more than 10% of emerging sports drink BodyArmour. It was the first investment of his new company Kobe Inc.
The TOP TEN list includes:
