Joe Prince-Wright
Several soccer superstars have been listed among the highest-paid athletes in the world in 2020 with Messi, Ronaldo and Neymar starring.
Forbes have put together a list of the top 10 highest-paid athletes in the world over the last 12 months, and three soccer superstars are in the top six.
Connor McGregor leads the way at number one after making $180 million in 2020, with $22 million in the ring and $158 million from commercial deals, but then come two legendary stars.
Lionel Messi is second out of all athletes and top among soccer players, as the Barcelona and Argentine star raked in $130 million in 2020.
$97 million of Messi’s earnings came from his wages at Barca, with the rest coming from commercial deals.
With his current contract at Barcelona up this summer, Messi could make even more if he heads elsewhere, but it is also likely he stays at Barca and take a bit of a pay cut.
We’re sure Leo will can do a few more sponsorship shoots to make up his losses…
Next up is Cristiano Ronaldo, who is second in the soccer world and third across all athletes with earnings of $120 million.
The Juventus and Portugal star, now 36 years of age, shows no signs of slowing down and has been linked with a move to Paris Saint-Germain and Real Madrid, among others, as Juve aim to get his wages off the books this summer. $70 million of Ronaldo’s earnings come from his Juve wages, with $50 million from endorsements.
Just below the two superstars was Neymar, who came in sixth overall at $95 million, as the Brazil and Paris Saint-Germain star just signed a huge new contract with Les Parisiens. His deal at PSG brought him $76 million of his earnings.
NBA and NFL stars all featured heavily on the list, and below are the top 10 highest-earning athletes from 2020.
1 – Connor McGregor: $180 million
2 – Lionel Messi: $130 million
3 – Cristiano Ronaldo: $120 million
4 – Dak Prescott: $107.5 million
5 – LeBron James: $96.5 million
6 – Neymar: $95 million
7 – Roger Federer: $90 million
8 – Lewis Hamilton: $82 million
9 – Tom Brady: $76 million
10 – Kevin Durant: $75 million
Highest-paid athletes: Messi, Ronaldo, Neymar among top 10 originally appeared on NBCSports.com
