Forbes’ names Messi as world’s highest paid athlete of 2022

Forbes has officially named footballer Lionel Messi, who came second last year, as the highest paid athlete of 2022.

The Paris Saint-Germain striker and 2021 Ballon d’Or winner earned a total of $130 million, $75 million on the pitch and $55 million in sponsorships with Adidas, Budweiser and PepsiCo; appearances and licensing fees; as well as being the first ambassador for Hard Rock International. This allowed him to match Cristiano Ronaldo with his off-field earnings for the first time since 2013.

Behind Messi is LeBron James with $121.2 million; Ronaldo with $115 million; Neymar with $95 million and Stephen Curry with $92.8 million. Then there is Kevin Durant with $92.1 million, Roger Federer with $90.7 million, Canelo Alvarez with $90 million, Tom Brady with $83.9 million and Giannis Antetokounmpo with $80.9 million.

Forbes estimates that this year’s 10 highest-paid athletes earned a total of $992 million in the past 12 months, marking the third-highest total in history behind 2021’s $1.05 billion figure and 2018’s $1.06 billion. The 6% drop from last year’s total is related to Conor McGregor, who fell out of this year’s top 10 after topping the 2021 list.