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Sports stars of today are global icons. They are followed all across the world and this staggering popularity translates to a fortune and then some thanks to their sheer marketability.
While the best athletes in the world obviously earn plenty of money on the field, most put in a lot of effort to maintain a steady revenue source away from it as well. Many of our global sports stars are successful entrepreneurs and ambassadors.
Their names and faces are enough to lend credibility to brands. According to Forbes, the world's 50 highest-paid athletes took home $2.97 billion excluding taxes and agents’ fees in the last year.
Without further ado, let's take a look at the top six athletes who earned the most from off-the-field deals in 2021-22.
#6 Cristiano Ronaldo - $55 million
Cristiano Ronaldo is the most popular individual on social media with around 708 million followers across Facebook, Instagram and Twitter. This social media clout helps Ronaldo rake in a lot of money through sponsorship deals with the likes of Nike, Clear Shampoo and Herbalife.
The Portuguese legend has also poured in money into Tatel restaurants, which recently opened a new outlet in Beverly Hills. Ronaldo has also become the amabassador for Zuju GP, an upcoming digital soccer community app.
Ronaldo earned $55 million from his off-the-field deals in the 2021-22 season.
#5 Lionel Messi - $55 million
Lionel Messi has an emphatic set of endorsement deals, the most lucrative of which is a $20 million-per-year partnership with Socios. He also has deals with the likes of PepsiCo, Adidas and Budweiser.
Messi, who picked up a record seventh Ballon d'Or in 2021, is also the first athlete to become the brand ambassador for Hard Rock International. He continues to be one of the most influential athletes on the planet despite suffering a disappointing debut season with Paris Saint-Germain.
#4 Naomi Osaka - $58 million
Naomi Osaka is currently the no. 1 ranked women's tennis player. She has won four Grand Slam titles and has become an iconic figure in the world of sports. Osaka is among the highest paid athletes in the world, going strictly by off-the-field earnings.
As per Forbes, Osaka has in excess of 20 corporate partners. These include world-famous brands like Nike, Mastercard and Louis Vuitton. She took home a whopping $58 million between May 2021 and May 2022.
#3 Tiger Woods - $68 million
Tiger Woods now has a net worth of at least $1 billion. He joins Michael Jordan and LeBron James as the only athletes to break the billion barrier. Tiger Woods is a 15-time major winner and he has some ridiculously profitable endorsement deals.
Woods endorses brands like Nike, Monster Energy, Gatorade and TaylorMade among others. He has also diversified his revenue sources and owns TGR Design, a golf design enterprise in addition to TGR Live, a live event production initiative. He also owns a restaurant named The Woods.
Woods has also invested money in Full Swing, Heard and Popstroke, according to Forbes (via Telegraph India).
#2 LeBron James - $80 million
LeBron James couldn't lead the Los Angeles Lakers to the playoffs this season, but that hasn't really had any effect on his economic status away from the pitch. James has raked in $80 million via off-the-field deals between May 2021 and May 2022.
He earned a lot of money for moving his talk show, The Shop, to YouTube from HBO. James appeared and co-produced the 2021 American live-action/animated sports comedy film Space Jam: A New Legacy.
The 37-year-old raked in even more money after selling a significant minority stake in SpringHill, the production house behind Space Jam and The Shop. James also signed an endorsement deal with Crypto.com in January 2021.
The legendary athlete has also poured money into Tonal, a home gym enterprise, and StatusPro.
#1 Roger Federer - $90.7 million
Roger Federer is synonymous with class and elegance. While injuries kept him out of action for the majority of 2020 and 2021, his revenue sources never dried up. Federer has endorsement deals with Rolex and Uniqlo and has ploughed money into Swiss shoe company On.
Federer has won 20 Grand Slam titles in his illustrious career and is widely viewed as one of the greatest of all time. He raked in a whopping $90.7 million as revenue through off-the-field deals between May 2021 and May 2022.
