Top 100 highest paid athletes in the World led by Conor McGregor, Lionel Messi, and Cristiano Ronaldo
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Lionel Messi, Conor McGregor and Cristiano Ronaldo
Despite the pandemic ravaging the World, the top 100 highest paid athletes in the World didn’t seize to add good fortune to their earnings last year. The top 100 of the list features athletes from 10 sports and 23 countries. The National Football League, the richest sports league in the world, boasts 32 players in the top 100, more than any other sport.
Renowned MMA fighter Conor McGregor tops the list having amassed a whopping sum of 208 million USD in 2020. A good part of his fortune came from him selling his Irish whiskey brand Proper No. Twelve to Proximo Spirits. The deal added a staggering 180 million USD to his earnings while he made a mere 28 million as his salary.
Soccer megastars Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo make up the top three of the list along with McGregor. Messi added 126 million USD to his fortune while Ronaldo made 120 million USD. Barring the greats of the game, numerous other football players pepper the top 100 rankings. The likes of Neymar, Antoine Griezmann, and Gareth Bale feature in the top 50.
Barring NFL and soccer stars, NBA to has a nice share in the rankings as it boasts 31 players among the top 100 highest-paid athletes. Los Angeles Lakers star LeBron James is fifth on the list and made almost 102 million USD last year. Barring him, fellow NBA stars Kevin Durant and Stephen Curry feature in the top 10.
Captain of the Indian cricket team Virat Kohli is the lone Indian to feature in the list. Kohli, who is placed at 59 in the rankings, is also the only cricketer to make it to the list. He made 31 million USD last year out of which 28 million came from his endorsements. on the other hand, MMA and boxing stars were represented by only McGregor and Canelo Álvarez among the top 100 highest paid athletes.
List of top 100 highest-paid athletes in the World
| RANK | ATHLETE | TEAM/Sports | SALARY/WINNING | ENDORSEMENTS | TOTAL |
| 1 | Conor McGregor | MMA | $28M | $180M | $208M |
| 2 | Lionel Messi | Barcelona | $91M | $35M | $126M |
| 3 | Cristiano Ronaldo | Juventus | $70M | $50M | $120M |
| 4 | Dak Prescott | Dallas Cowboys | $97.4M | $11M | $108.4M |
| 5 | LeBron James | Los Angeles Lakers | $31.8M | $70M | $101.8M |
| 6 | Neymar | Paris Saint-Germain | $75M | $25M | $100M |
| 7 | Roger Federer | Tennis | $46K | $84M | $84M |
| 8 | Tom Brady | Tampa Bay Buccaneers | $58.4M | $22M | $80.4M |
| 9 | Kevin Durant | Brooklyn Nets | $32.1M | $48M | $80.1M |
| 10 | Stephen Curry | Golden State Warriors | $34.5M | $40M | $74.5M |
| 11 | Lewis Hamilton | Mercedes | $50M | $14M | $64M |
| 12 | Canelo Álvarez | Boxing | $61M | $2M | $63M |
| 13 | Tiger Woods | Golf | $191K | $62M | $62.2M |
| 14 | Russell Westbrook | Washington Wizards | $33.1M | $28M | $61.1M |
| 15 | Naomi Osaka | Tennis | $5.2M | $50M | $55.2M |
| 16 | James Harden | Brooklyn Nets | $33.1M | $18M | $51.1M |
| 17 | Giannis Antetokounmpo | Milwaukee Bucks | $22.2M | $27M | $49.2M |
| 18 | David Bakhtiari | Green Bay Packers | $48M | $250K | $48.2M |
| 19 | Ronnie Stanley | Baltimore Ravens | $47.1M | $100K | $47.2M |
| 20 | Patrick Mahomes | Kansas City Chiefs | $32.5M | $14M | $46.5M |
| 21 | Phil Mickelson | Golf | $4.1M | $42M | $46.1M |
| 22 | Joey Bosa | Los Angeles Chargers | $43M | $750K | $43.8M |
| 23 | Klay Thompson | Golden State Warriors | $28.3M | $15M | $43.3M |
| 24 | Kyrie Irving | Brooklyn Nets | $26.2M | $17M | $43.2M |
| 25 | Trent Williams | San Francisco 49ers | $42.8M | $75K | $42.9M |
| 26 | Myles Garrett | Cleveland Browns | $42.5M | $300K | $42.8M |
| 27 | Jalen Ramsey | Los Angeles Rams | $42.2M | $400K | $42.6M |
| 28 | Gareth Bale | Tottenham Hotspur | $35.9M | $6M | $41.9M |
| 29 | Dustin Johnson | Golf | $24.8M | $16M | $40.8M |
| 30 | Antoine Griezmann | Barcelona | $34.6M | $6M | $40.6M |
| 31 | Damian Lillard | Portland Trail Blazers | $25.4M | $15M | $40.4M |
| 32 | Chris Paul | Phoenix Suns | $33.2M | $7M | $40.2M |
| 33 | Kylian Mbappé | Paris Saint-Germain | $29.1M | $11M | $40.1M |
| 34 | DeAndre Hopkins | Arizona Cardinals | $38M | $1.5M | $39.5M |
| 35 | Andrés Iniesta | Vissel Kobe | $30M | $9M | $39M |
| 36 | Leonard Williams | New York Giants | $38.6M | $200K | $38.8M |
| 37 | Marlon Humphrey | Baltimore Ravens | $37.1M | $250K | $37.3M |
| 38 | Paul George | Los Angeles Clippers | $28.5M | $8.5M | $37M |
| 39 | Anthony Davis | Los Angeles Lakers | $26.6M | $10M | $36.6M |
| 39 | Francisco Lindor | New York Mets | $34.6M | $2M | $36.6M |
| 41 | Chris Jones | Kansas City Chiefs | $36.1M | $100K | $36.2M |
| 41 | Shaquil Barrett | Tampa Bay Buccaneers | $36M | $200K | $36.2M |
| 43 | Mohamed Salah | Liverpool | $25.1M | $11M | $36.1M |
| 44 | Serena Williams | Tennis | $1.5M | $34M | $35.5M |
| 45 | Deshaun Watson | Houston Texans | $29.4M | $6M | $35.4M |
| 46 | Matt Judon | New England Patriots | $34.8M | $150K | $35M |
| 47 | Jimmy Butler | Miami Heat | $27.8M | $7M | $34.8M |
| 48 | J.J. Watt | Arizona Cardinals | $27.5M | $7M | $34.5M |
| 48 | John Wall | Houston Rockets | $33M | $1.5M | $34.5M |
| 50 | Paul Pogba | Manchester United | $27.4M | $7M | $34.4M |
| 51 | Kawhi Leonard | Los Angeles Clippers | $27.6M | $6M | $33.6M |
| 52 | Novak Djokovic | Tennis | $4.4M | $29M | $33.4M |
| 53 | Eden Hazard | Real Madrid | $29M | $4M | $33M |
| 54 | Rory McIlroy | Golf | $4.8M | $28M | $32.8M |
| 55 | Ben Simmons | Philadelphia 76ers | $24.6M | $8M | $32.6M |
| 56 | Bud Dupree | Tennessee Titans | $31.8M | $150K | $32M |
| 57 | Joe Thuney | Kansas City Chiefs | $31.8M | $75K | $31.9M |
| 58 | Robert Lewandowski | Bayern Munich | $26.6M | $5M | $31.6M |
| 59 | Virat Kohli | Royal Challengers Bangalore | $3.5M | $28M | $31.5M |
| 60 | Devin Booker | Phoenix Suns | $23.6M | $7M | $30.6M |
| 60 | Kemba Walker | Boston Celtics | $27.6M | $3M | $30.6M |
| 62 | Blake Griffin | Brooklyn Nets | $27M | $3M | $30M |
| 63 | Tyler Lockett | Seattle Seahawks | $29.2M | $600K | $29.8M |
| 64 | Joel Embiid | Philadelphia 76ers | $23.7M | $6M | $29.7M |
| 65 | Jordan Spieth | Golf | $4.6M | $25M | $29.6M |
| 66 | Joe Burrow | Cincinnati Bengals | $24.5M | $4.5M | $29M |
| 66 | Khalil Mack | Chicago Bears | $28.5M | $500K | $29M |
| 66 | Tobias Harris | Philadelphia 76ers | $27.5M | $1.5M | $29M |
| 69 | D’Angelo Russell | Minnesota Timberwolves | $22.9M | $6M | $28.9M |
| 70 | Mike Conley | Utah Jazz | $27.7M | $1M | $28.7M |
| 71 | Cameron Heyward | Pittsburgh Steelers | $28.4M | $200K | $28.6M |
| 71 | DeForest Buckner | Indianapolis Colts | $28.4M | $200K | $28.6M |
| 73 | Kevin De Bruyne | Manchester City | $25M | $3.5M | $28.5M |
| 74 | David de Gea | Manchester United | $25.9M | $2.5M | $28.4M |
| 74 | Mike Trout | Los Angeles Angels | $24.9M | $3.5M | $28.4M |
| 76 | Zion Williamson | New Orleans Pelicans | $8.2M | $20M | $28.2M |
| 77 | Kristaps Porziņģis | Dallas Mavericks | $23.6M | $4.5M | $28.1M |
| 78 | Russell Wilson | Seattle Seahawks | $18M | $10M | $28M |
| 78 | Sebastian Vettel | Aston Martin | $27M | $1M | $28M |
| 80 | Donovan Smith | Tampa Bay Buccaneers | $27.8M | $50K | $27.8M |
| 81 | Raheem Sterling | Manchester City | $23.2M | $4.5M | $27.7M |
| 82 | CJ McCollum | Portland Trail Blazers | $23.5M | $4M | $27.5M |
| 83 | Ángel Di María | Paris Saint-Germain | $24.7M | $2.5M | $27.2M |
| 84 | Khris Middleton | Milwaukee Bucks | $26.6M | $500K | $27.1M |
| 85 | Kevin Love | Cleveland Cavaliers | $25M | $2M | $27M |
| 86 | Kenny Clark | Green Bay Packers | $26.7M | $150K | $26.9M |
| 87 | Stephen Strasburg | Washington Nationals | $26.3M | $400K | $26.7M |
| 88 | Justin Simmons | Denver Broncos | $26.4M | $150K | $26.6M |
| 88 | Karl-Anthony Towns | Minnesota Timberwolves | $23.6M | $3M | $26.6M |
| 88 | Kei Nishikori | Tennis | $554K | $26M | $26.6M |
| 88 | Tre’Davious White | Buffalo Bills | $26.3M | $300K | $26.6M |
| 92 | Matthew Stafford | Los Angeles Rams | $25M | $1.5M | $26.5M |
| 92 | Rafael Nadal | Tennis | $3.5M | $23M | $26.5M |
| 94 | Taylor Decker | Detroit Lions | $26.4M | $75K | $26.4M |
| 95 | Max Verstappen | Red Bull Racing | $24M | $2.3M | $26.3M |
| 96 | DeMar DeRozan | San Antonio Spurs | $22.2M | $4M | $26.2M |
| 96 | Philippe Coutinho | Barcelona | $24.2M | $2M | $26.2M |
| 98 | Clayton Kershaw | Los Angeles Dodgers | $24.8M | $1.3M | $26.1M |
| 98 | Laremy Tunsil | Houston Texans | $26M | $50K | $26.1M |
| 100 | Kyle Lowry | Toronto Raptors | $24.5M | $1.5M | $26M |
Tennis stars Naomi Osaka and Serena Williams are the only female entrants in the list of the top 100 highest-paid athletes. Osaka made a female athlete record 55.1 million in total earnings, including 50 million in endorsements while Serena made 35.5 million to finish in the top 50.
Despite appearances going down by a staggering 86 percent, the athletes got to keep their entire salary. According to estimates of Sportico, the top 100 highest paid athletes in the world made a total of 4.2 billion USD last year. Of the total income of the top 100 highest paid athletes 2.9 billion USD came in salary and prize money while $1.3 billion USD was made off the field or court from endorsements, licensing, memorabilia, and appearances over the last 12 months.
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