10 Highest-Paid Athletes from 1990 to 2022

There has been much discussion in recent weeks about Mbappé’s renewal with Real Madrid. According to new estimates Kylian Mbappé will earn at least 160 million dollars in 2022. With this figure Mbappé is the highest paid athlete in the world in 2022. But which are the world’s highest paid athletes in history? And who is the highest paid athlete in 2022? Once again this year let’s look together at the analysis of the world’s highest paid athletes. Most paid athletes 2022.

Most paid athletes 2022

Who is the highest paid athlete in 2022? Thanks to his new contract with PSG Mbappé is the highest earning athlete in 2022. In fact, the French player, has surpassed Lionel Messi among the highest earning players. In this year Mbappè will earn a figure of $160 at least million. In second place among the richest players in 2022 is Lionel Messi himself, who earns $130 million. Among the richest athletes in the world in the top five positions four play soccer. In fact, among them we find Cristiano Ronaldo with $115 million and Neymar with $95 million. But in third position this year is LeBron James. In fact, the NBA player has an income of $121.2 million.

In the 2022 top 10 in addition to the famous football players and LeBron James there are also Stephen Curry, Kevin Durant, Roger Feder, Canelo Alvarez and in tenth position Tom Brady.

Top 10 Most Paid Athletes 2022:

  1. Kylian Mbappè, Soccer, 160 000 000;
  2. Lionel Messi, Soccer, 130 000 000;
  3. LeBron James, NBA, 121 200 000;
  4. Cristiano Ronaldo, Soccer, 115 000 000;
  5. Neymar, Soccer, 95 000 000;
  6. Stephen Curry, NBA, 92 800 000;
  7. Kevin Durant, NBA, 92 100 000;
  8. Roger Federer, Tennis, 90 700 000;
  9. Canelo Alvarez, Boxing, 90 000 000;
  10. Tom Brady, NFL, 83 900 000;

The World’s 10 Highest-Paid Athletes

But 31 years ago, in 1990, who were the ten highest paid athletes in the world? And what was the economic income of these athletes compared to today? In 1990 the highest paid athlete in the world was Mike Tyson. With 28 million and 600 thousand dollars Tyson in 1990 was at the top of the Forbes list followed by two other Boxing athletes. In second place was infatit Buster Douglas with 26 million and in third place Sugar Ray Leonard. This top trio was followed by two Formula 1 drivers. Ayrton Senna, with 10 million and Alain Prost with 9 million.

From sixth to eighth place there were Golf players including Jack Nicklaus, in ninth place another Golf athlete and closing the ranking was Micheal Jordan in the NBA with 8 million 100 thousand dollars. Net of the changes that have taken place and inflation it is interesting to note two things. McCgregor over $129 million more than Tyson in 1990. Kevin Durant, who is in 10th place in 2021, makes almost 10 times more than Micheal Jordan who was in 10th place in 1990. Another interesting fact is how in 1990 only 4 sports were in the top 10 highest paid athletes in the world. In 2021 these are 6. In fact there are soccer and tennis (and no longer golf).

Forbes’ list of the world’s highest-paid athletes (2021)

We saw above the data of the 10 highest paid athletes in the world from 1990 to 2021. But what are the 50 highest paid athletes in the world, according to Forbes, in 2021? In the chart below you can see the data. Both for total and for Salary and Endorsements. The chart is also useful because you can put the different parameters in columns. If for example we want to analyze which are the athletes in the world that earn more thanks to their salary, in first position we find Dak Prescott. With a figure of 97.5 million dollars Prescott is 0.5 million dollars ahead of Messi.

In third position we find another PSG player, Neymar. The Brazilian player has a total income of 95 million dollars of which 76 million dollars thanks to the salary .One last figure that certainly makes you think. The first female athlete in the world is Naomi Osaka. With a total of 60 million in revenue the Japanese tennis player ranks 12th. Of these, 5 come from Salary and $55 million from Endorsements. It will be interesting to know if in the coming years this ranking will be tinged more and more pink or if the obvious differences of today will remain.

Highest Paid Female Athletes 2021

We have seen how in the top 50 of the world’s highest paid athletes there are only two female athletes. The first is Naomi Osaka, with $60 million and in 12th position. The second is Serena Williams with $41.5 million (28th position). Taking the data from Sportico, it is possible to get a better idea of which are the 10 highest paid female athletes in the world. Sportico’s data is slightly different from Forbes’. Na in the first two positions we still find Osaka and Williams.

The third highest paid athlete in the world is Simone Biles who, however, has an income of 6 million. A decidedly “low” figure compared to the data of men. In fact Biles, third among women, is actually over one thousandth if we consider the overall ranking. To give another interesting example, Inbee Park, a female golfer, will earn about $3.7 million in 2021. She is in tenth position among the athletes who earn the most in the world but earns over 10 times less than Kevin Durant who is in tenth position among the athletes who earn the most.

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