12 highest paid athletes of all time

#8 Lionel Messi (Football) - $1.14 billion

Lionel Messi

Lionel Messi's impact in the footballing world is immense. Once he retires, football will arguably be divided into two parts - the pre-Messi era and the post-Messi era.

He was Barcelona's highest paid star for the longest time and now at PSG, is raking in €30 million per year, according to L'Equipe. With an additional $30 million per year through endorsements, the Argentine legend is consistently ranked among the highest earning athletes.

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#7 LeBron James (Basketball) - $1.17 billion

LeBron James

Since being drafted in 2003, King James has earned $330 million in playing salary. He has raked in over another $700 million through endorsements with Nike, Coca-Cola, Intel, Verizon and Kia Motors among others.

He signed for the Los Angeles Lakers in 2018 on a four-year, $153 million contract. He has been NBA's top-earning player for seven straight years.

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#6 Floyd Mayweather (Boxing) - $1.2 billion

Floyd Mayweather

The wealthiest boxer of all-time, Floyd Mayweather's illustrious career spanned nearly two decades between 1996 and 2015 and boasted a stellar record of 50-0!

He also pocketed more than $500 million combined for his fights versus Manny Pacquiao and Conor McGregor in 2015 and 2017 respectively.

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#5 Cristiano Ronaldo (Football) - $1.24 billion

Cristiano Ronaldo

The third and last footballer on the list is another all-time great in Cristiano Ronaldo, who's made a fortune throughout his glorious playing career.

While the Portuguese ace draws millions more through mega sponsorship deals, he's a brand of his own. He has launched his own range of watches, perfumes, underwear and hotel chains.