For the first time since 2010, not a single athlete got into 2018 richest athletes list, which Forbes called "male affair." Tennis star Serena Williams was the only woman to dilute men's company last year. But now her main priority is her daughter Olympia, who was born in September 2017.
Twitter users have pointed to the Forbes list as a prime example of pay inequality in sports.
Not in the ranking of Russian athletes. But who entered the top ten most highly paid sports stars.
10. Matthew Stafford (American Football)
He earned, including advertising - 59.5 million dollars.
In 2017, Stafford signed a five-year contract worth $ 135 million with a guaranteed amount of $ 60.5 million. He also received a bonus of $ 50 million.
NFL Player is an advertising partner for Nike, PepsiCo and Ford Motors.
9. Matt Ryan (American Football)
Revenue is $ 67.3 million.
Ryan is the first NFL player to earn $ 30 million a year. This was made possible thanks to a contract with Falcons last year. He is the new record of the American Football League on several points at once:
- wages ($ 30 million);
- player value ($ 150 million);
- guaranteed payments ($ 100 million);
- and subscription bonuses ($ 46.5 million).
This American football player has partnership contracts with Nike, IBM, Mercedes Benz and other well-known brands.
8. Stephen Curry (basketball)
Revenue from sports and advertising is $ 76.9 million.
The top ten most successful athletes in 2018 is an unfamiliar territory for Curry. There is the first year of his contract with the NBA in the amount of two hundred million dollars, which he signed last offseason.
Brands featured in Curry's advertising contracts include Under Armor, Vivo, and Nissan / Infiniti.
7. Roger Federer (tennis)
Received for sports performances and advertising - 77 million dollars.
Swiss tennis player in his career won a huge prize pool of $ 116 million. But even this amount is small compared with the amount that he earns on advertising. Transactions with Lindt and Mercedes Benz were resumed last year, and Federer also concluded a deal worth $ 40 million with Italian brand Barilla, which produces pasta.
In addition, the athlete collaborates with brands such as Nike, Credit Suisse and Moet & Chandon.
6. LeBron James (basketball)
Revenue is $ 85.5 million.
The famous Cleveland Cavaliers NBA player has contracts with Nike, Beats, Kia Motors, etc. He is an investor in the Blaze Pizza fast-food restaurant chain, and his investment group owns 17 franchises.
Lebron's signature sneakers, released in collaboration with Nike, are the most popular among active NBA players. He also owns SpringHill Entertainment, a production company, and a media company called Uninterrupted. LeBron also owns a 2% stake in the English football club Liverpool thanks to his partnership with the Fenway Sports Group.
5. Neymar (football)
Revenue is $ 90 million.
The Paris Saint-Germain Club paid $ 600 million for the Brazilian football star Neymar to sign a five-year contract with him. $ 250 million of the above amount was used to free Neymar from his contract with Barcelona, and the remaining $ 350 million will be paid to him as a salary under the contract, which ends in June 2022.
This made Neymar the highest paid football player of 2018.
Neymar works with brands such as Nike, Red Bull, Gilette, McDonald’s and Beats.
4. Conor McGregor (MMA)
Income for the year - 99 million dollars.
This mixed martial artist has never been shy about talking about his love of money. Despite not stepping a foot in a cage since November 2016, Conor managed to earn $ 100 million thanks to his 10-round extravaganza with boxer Floyd Mayweather in Las Vegas. Also, the 29-year-old Irishman has concluded advertising contracts with many famous brands - from Burger King to Betsafe and Beats.
3. Cristiano Ronaldo (football)
Total annual income - 108 million dollars.
The football star Cristiano, who has been shining for two years brighter than anyone in the selection of the richest athletes, has now rolled up. She was eclipsed by the first number of the rating. However, next year everything can change.
In the meantime, according to the current contract with Ronaldo, the Spanish club Real will pay him $ 50 million over the next three years. He has a lifetime contract with Nike worth more than $ 1 billion, as well as other deals with brands such as EA Sports and American Tourister.
Also, the athlete, one of the ten football players with the most powerful blow, produces a range of products (shoes, underwear, perfume, etc.) under the brand name CR7.
2. Lionel Messi (football)
Annual earnings - 111 million dollars.
This footballer will lead the Argentine national team at the World Cup, which will begin on June 14. With Barcelona, he won many trophies and was crowned the best player in the world for a record five times.
Messi agreed to renew the contract with Barcelona for the period 2020-2021, which will allow him to receive $ 80 million plus bonuses annually. He also deals with the brands Gatorade, Huawei, Pepsi, Ooredoo and Hawkers. Messi owns one of the best goals in football history.
1. Floyd Mayweather (boxing)
The total annual income from sports and advertising is $ 285 million.
The American boxer is far ahead of all his rivals in the ranking of the richest athletes in many respects thanks to the widely publicized fight with MMA star Conor McGregor. Mayweather easily won this fight, but McGregor is also not offended by money, because he, too, was in the top ten athletes rich.
Mayweather applies his fighting skills not only in sports, but also in everyday life. He had several legal problems with domestic violence. He was fined $ 2,500 and sentenced to imprisonment for three months after he hit the mother of three of his children in 2010.
Mayweather was not one of the highest paid athletes in the world in 2016 or 2017 after a temporary retirement, but he led the top 10 in 2015.
