20 Highest-Paid Athletes in the World

Sportico has presented a list of the highest-paid athletes in the world for the year 2024, demonstrating that the sports industry continues to generate enormous sums of money on an annual basis.

The fact that players from American football, basketball, boxing, golf, and football are at the top of the list, with sponsorships, earnings, and prize money totalling more than $100 million, should not come as a surprise to anyone. On the other hand, football was the most dominant sport in the top 10, with five of its players earning the highest pay overall.

In spite of the fact that Sportico revealed the top 100, we will be focussing the most of our attention on the top 10. On the other hand, you can see the athletes that finished in 20th to 11th place below, which means they were just outside of the top 10 spots.

The twenty-first through eleventh highest-paid athletes in the world

Rank the

As an athlete

The sport of athletics

Compensation and Prizes

Advisory opinions

A total of

Twenty.

Canelo Saul Alvarez, an alias

“Boxing”

65 million dollars

$8 million USD

$73 million USD

a 19.

It is Patrick Mahomes.

The NFL

A total of $46.1 million

27 million dollars

73,1 million dollars

18.

He is Max Verstappen.

A Formula One

Seventy million dollars

$6 million.00

76 million dollars

17. 18.

Rory has McIlroy.

The sport of golf

A total of $34.8 million

45 million dollars

79.8 million dollars

16. 17.

This is Jordan Love.

The NFL

$79.1 million

$2.5 million in total

A total of $81.6 million

a 15.

You, Jared Goff

The NFL

80.8% of the total

Five million dollars

A total of $85.8 million

13.

Kevin Durant, the

It is the NBA.

The amount of $48.1 million

45 million dollars

93,1 million dollars

13.

It was Giannis Antetokounmpo.

It is the NBA.

47.8 million dollars

50,000 dollars:

97.8 million dollars

Twelve.

I am Dak Prescott.

The NFL

A total of $86.4 million

14 million dollars

104 million dollars

A. 11.

This is Scottie Scheffler.

The sport of golf

76,3 million dollars

The amount of $28 million

104,3 million dollars

Golfer Jon Rahm makes $105.8 million.

The Basque Country is where Jon Rahm, a professional golfer from Spain, was born and raised. His victories in 2021 and 2023, when he became the first Spaniard to win the US Open and The Masters, respectively, are among the most significant achievements he has achieved to this point in his career thus far. With a total of $105.8 million in 2024, of which $85.8 million comes from profits and compensation, Rahm is doing well financially. This indicates that he is in a good financial position. Endorsements were responsible for the remaining twenty million dollars.

9 Kylian Mbappe Football – 110 million dollars

A French forward named Mbappe has brought approximately $110 million in income so far this year, placing him in ninth place. With Real Madrid in La Liga, the French captain has scored 16 goals in 21 appearances so far this season. He is currently playing for Real Madrid. There is no denying the popularity of the Madrid striker, as seen by the twenty million dollars in endorsements for the year. Over the course of his career, he has been regarded as one of the most outstanding players of his generation. Furthermore, he is paid a salary of an impressive $85 million at the moment.

10Karim Benzema Football – 116 million dollars

Another Frenchman who has joined the conversation is Karim Benzema, who is currently placed eighth. His present position is that of forward for AI-Ittihad, which competes in the Saudi Pro League. He is currently wearing the captain’s armband. This season, he has represented his team in 16 games and has scored 14 goals. The Saudi League’s goldmine continued to be displayed by Benzema, who earned a total of $116 million in the previous year. It is impossible to believe that his salary alone accounted for 108 million dollars of his total income.

7Oleksandr Usyk Boxing – 122 million dollars

By the year 2024, Usyk had already established himself as a legendary figure in the sport of boxing. Based on the scorecards provided by the judges, the 38-year-old fighter emerged victorious in both of his fights against Tyson Fury. As a result, he became the first person since Lennox Lewis to be crowned the undisputed heavyweight champion of the world. The Gipsy King’s career eventually came to an end as a result of his victory over the British opponent in the rematch, which he used to buttress his claim. Incredible as it may seem, endorsements barely accounted for two million dollars of the Ukrainian’s total income.

Neymar Football, worth $133 million

The fact that Neymar is included on this list is not surprising given his long history of earning top bucks, despite the fact that he was sidelined for the bulk of the 2023 season due to an anterior cruciate ligament injury that he sustained while playing for the Saudi team Al-Hilal. It is possible that the Brazilian’s career is nearing its conclusion, as he has recently returned to Santos, the club he played for when he was a child, after an absence of almost twelve years. During the year 2024, he amassed an astounding sum of $133 million, of which he only received $108 million in compensation.

“LeBron James Basketball” is worth $133.2 million.

Even if you are not a fan of basketball, it is likely that you are familiar with the name LeBron James. In addition to being one of the most talked-about players of his era, he is a presence both on and off the court because of his presence. According to many people, he is widely regarded as one of the greatest basketball players in the history of the game. He is currently a member of the Los Angeles Lakers and is known by the nickname “King James.” In 2024, the individual who had won three gold medals at the Olympic Games and was a member of the United States national basketball team earned a decent salary of $133.2 million for making a basket. However, it is interesting to note that LeBron James made more money from endorsements (85 million dollars) than he did from his contract (48.2 million dollars).

$435 million for Lionel Messi in football

The world’s greatest athlete now holds the fourth spot in the rankings. The individual who is well-known to football fans all over the world made $135 million in earnings in the previous year. For those of you who haven’t heard of Messi in recent times, here are some of the most notable achievements he has achieved throughout his career. There are 45 team titles that he has won, one of which being the World Cup, which he won with Argentina in 2022. As a result of his 672 goals scored for Barcelona, he is considered the greatest player of all time. He also holds the record for the most goals scored for a single club — Barcelona. One hundred and thirty-five million dollars was earned by the Argentine player, who is currently playing for Inter Miami in the United States. Of this total, sixty million dollars was his pay, while the remaining seventy-five million dollars came from endorsements.

3 Tyson Fury Boxing totals $147 million

Tyson Fury’s profits were unaffected by the fact that he experienced a few severe setbacks in 2024; the Gipsy King garnered an amazing $147 million in earnings in the previous year. Even though he was defeated by Usyk, who was also a top-10 earner, in both of his fights, according to the scorecards of the judges, his earning potential was not hampered in any way. Fury has announced that he will be retiring from the sport, which means that he will have more time to spend his wealth. Despite having a substantial wage, the British athlete only made $7 million in endorsements in the previous year. This is only more than Usyk, who is ranked in the top 10 of the list.

2Stephen Curry Basketball – $153.8 Million Million

The staggering amount of $153.8 million that Stephen Curry, the point guard for the Golden State Warriors, is projected to earn in 2024 places him in second place. It is interesting to note that one hundred million pounds of that total came simply from endorsements, which demonstrates how lucrative basketball is both in the United States and worldwide. Two times named NBA Most Valuable Player, Curry has won four NBA championships. Despite the fact that he is currently ranked second on this list of the highest-paid sportsmen in the world, he is still a very, very, very long way behind the athlete who is currently in the top spot…

1 Cristiano Ronaldo Football – 260 million dollars

In the event that you were unaware of this fact, the great Portuguese football player Cristiano Ronaldo has been ranked first for the year 2024. Before this past year, he had earned $100 million for eight years in a row, but he took home $260 million in the previous year. His record-breaking contract with the Saudi team AI-Nassr probably contributed greatly to his even larger pay, which was $260 million. Due to the fact that his present contract with the team is scheduled to expire later this year, whatever the 40-year-old decides to do in the future will most surely not involve a reduction in the amount of money on the table.