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Being among the highest-paid athletes in the world demands a combination of talent, hard work, and signing up the right contracts. In the last decade, we have seen names from golf, soccer, boxing, and other sports top the list.
The visibility of those athletes make their image valuable, and a significant part of their income comes from huge contracts. Cristiano Ronaldo, for example, has a lifetime deal with Nike that is worth one billion. However, it is interesting to notice that all the names on this list are men. It highlights the payment gaps between men and women in sports. Keep scrolling and discover the highest-earning athletes in the last ten years.
Tiger Woods - $105,000,000 in 2010
In 2009, Tiger Woods became the first sportsman to make $1,000,000,000, and he was also the highest-paid athlete in the world. That year, he made $895,000,000 million thanks to prize earnings, licensing products, and other contracts. In 2010, he made $105,000,000, according to Forbes, and once again ranked the first position as the highest-earning athlete.
Woods was much beyond from the second place, Floyd Mayweather, that earned $65,000,000 and third place Kobe Bryant, who pocked $48,000,000.
Tiger Woods - $75,000,000 in 2011
Once again, Tiger Woods topped the list in 2011 and made $75,000,000, much more than the second-place Kobe Bryant, who earned $53,000,000 that year. However, it was the start of the gold player's fall down. Woods started to lose multiple sponsorships like Gillette and PepsiCo, thanks to the scandals he was involved in.
In case you don't remember, Tiger Woods made the headlines that year for much more than his talents. He signed up for an addiction clinic for some months in 2010, and the year before, his name was involved in sex scandals and a car accident.
Floyd Mayweather - $85,000,000 in 2012
Floyd Mayweather made an impressive amount of $85,000,000 in 2012. That year, Mayweather made history by being part of the four most significant non-heavyweight pay-per-view events throughout boxing history, according to The New Times. His income came from two major fights, one with Victor Ortiz, where he earned $40,000,000 and the other with Miguel Cotto, that made him $45,000,000 richer.
Mayweather also surpassed Tiger Woods, whose image was damaged by the multiple scandals. However, the golf star made $59,000,000 that year, ranking second on the list.
Tiger Woods - $78,100,000 in 2013
Tiger Woods' personal life was not doing great, but his career was phenomenal in 2012. Woods won six competitions in one year and made his way back to the top of the list. In 2013, he made $78,100,000. According to the publication, $13,100,000 came from prizes, but most of the amount came from endorsements and events he was paid to attend. It seems that the power of his image and talent are stronger than the scandals he got involved in.
Roger Federer ranked second with $71,000,000.
Floyd Mayweather - $105,000,000 in 2014
Floyd Mayweather spent 72 minutes on the ring between June 2013 and June 2014. This time made him the highest-earning athlete of the year. Mayweather is one of the most successful and popular boxers of all time, and he made $400,000,000 from his debut in 1996 until 2014, according to Forbes. Besides the fights, Mayweather is also a fight promoter, which increases his earnings. He also had an excellent contract for Showtime for six fights.
Cristiano Ronaldo ranked second, with $80,000,000, and was the highest-earning soccer player in the world.
Floyd Mayweather - $300,000,000 in 2015
Floyd Mayweather appeared on the top of the list for the third time and the second year in a row. The boxer made an impressive $300,000,000 in 2015.
It was a great year for Mayweather's numbers! One of his fights broke pay-per-view records with nearly 4.5 million viewers, and it had $73,000,000 of tickets sold. Of course, he also made lots of money with endorsement deals with brands like Burger King and Hublot.
Cristiano Ronaldo - $88,000,000 in 2016
Cristiano Ronaldo is in use to be on the top of the world as one of the most talented soccer players in history. But just in 2016, he topped the Forbes list earning $88,000,000 that year, much less than Mayweather in the previous year. It was the first time a soccer player was on the top of this list. But he probably just did it because Mayweather retired and Woods was injured.
Lionel Messi, another soccer player superstar, ranked second on the list with $71,000,000.
Cristiano Ronaldo - $90,000,000 in 2017
Cristiano Ronaldo became $90,000,000 richer in 2017. The Portuguese star was the highest-earning athlete for the second year in a row, and It was an excellent year for him. He was pointed as the best soccer player for the fourth year in a row, got a lifetime contract with Nike worth $1 billion, and got a new deal at Real Madrid, which would pay him $50,000,000 per year.
And he is still at the top of his game today beingl one of the most important soccer players of all times. Unsurprisingly, he also has one of the most impressive lifestyles among the soccer players. Ronaldo also surpassed Le Bron James that made $86,200,000.
Floyd Mayweather - $285,000,000 in 2018
Floyd Mayweather was again the highest-earning athlete in 2018, with a $285,000,000 income. It is the fourth time he got the first position. He made that amount thanks to his fight against Conor McGregor. According to Forbes, the fighting stars made $400,000,000 combined. Mayweather also earned $10,000,000 in endorsement contracts.
Lionel Messi is ranked second, with $111,000,000, and Cristiano Ronaldo dropped to the third position with "only" $61,000,000.
Lionel Messi - $127,000,000 in 2019
Lionel Messi topped the list for the first time this year with a $127,000,000 income. Most of his fortune that year comes from huge contracts, like his lifetime deal with Adidas, and he also teamed up with brands like Huawei and Gatorade.
Despite his fortune, Messi was involved in financial scandals in the past. He had to pay $250,000 for tax fraud in Spain back in 2016.
It is also the first time in the decade that soccer players are on the top 3. Cristiano Ronaldo, Messi's greatest rival, ranked second with $109,000,000, and Neymar got the third position with $105,000,000.