Meet The 10 Highest-Paid Athletes Of 2021 According To Forbes
On May 12, 2021, Forbes released its list of the highest-paid athletes in the world for 2021, marking the very top earners in the sports industry based on their earnings derived from prize money, salaries, bonuses and endorsements during the past 12 months (between May 1, 2020 and May, 2021).
Although the pandemic has wreaked havoc on sport with lots of major events being cancelled or postponed, the report reveals that the ten highest-paid athletes had taken home pretax gross earnings of US$1.05 billion over the last year, which is 28 per cent more than 2020’s top earners.
This year, MMA fighter Conor McGregor tops the list with US$180 million in total earnings, edging past the two football legends Lionel Messi (#2) and Cristiano Ronaldo (#3) who’ve been topping the charts consistently in the past few years. Read on to discover the full list and find out how much do the superstars make.
See also: Who Are The Richest Filipinos Included In The Forbes World's Billionaires 2021 List?
1/10 Conor McGregor
Nationality: Ireland
Age: 32
Sport: MMA
Earning ratio: US$22 million (on the field); US$158 million (off the field)
Total: US$180 million
2/10 Lionel Messi
Nationality: Argentina
Age: 33
Sport: Soccer
Earning ratio: US$97 million (on the field); US$33 million (off the field)
Total: US$130 million
3/10 Cristiano Ronaldo
Nationality: Portugal
Age: 36
Sport: Soccer
Earning ratio: US$70 million (on the field); US$50 million (off the field)
Total: US$120 million
4/10 Dak Prescott
Nationality: United States
Age: 27
Sport: Football (NFL)
Earning ratio: US$97.5 million (on the field); US$10 million (off the field)
Total: US$107.5 million
5/10 LeBron James
Nationality: United States
Age: 36
Sport: Basketball
Earning ratio: US$31.5 million (on the field); US$65 million (off the field)
Total: US$96.5 million
6/10 Neymar da Silva Santos Júnior
Nationality: Brazil
Age: 29
Sport: Soccer
Earning ratio: US$76 million (on the field); US$19 million (off the field)
Total: US$95 million
7/10 Roger Federer
Nationality: Switzerland
Age: 39
Sport: Tennis
Earning ratio: US$30,000 (on the field); US$90 million (off the field)
Total: US$90 million
8/10 Lewis Hamilton
Nationality: United Kingdom
Age: 36
Sport: Formula 1
Earning ratio: US$70 million (on the field); US$12 million (off the field)
Total: US$82 million
9/10 Tom Brady
Nationality: United States
Age: 43
Sport: Football (NFL)
Earning ratio: US$45 million (on the field); US$31 million (off the field)
Total: US$76 million
10/10 Kevin Durant
Nationality: United States
Age: 32
Sport: Basketball
Earning ratio: US$31 million (on the field); US$44 million (off the field)
Total: US$75 million
More on Forbes' highest-paid athletes 2021 list here