Lucrative salaries, huge sponsorship and merchandising machines is now in the background of world sports. The world’s top paid athletes come from a range of sports worldwide. These ten highest paid athletes together earn over half a billion dollars per year. The list of highest paid athletes in 2014 is already past for us. Now we are forwarding to the assumption for top highest paid athletes of 2016. Here we going to make the List of maximum earners from various sports in the world. There is some new entries from the previous list.
Tiger Woods was the most paid athlete in 2013. Now he is at number six. Again Cristiano Ronaldo is also jumping up and up. Currently he is the 2nd highest paid athlete in 2016 with 80 million annual earnings. Notably this year’s list is dominated by soccer, tennis, basketball and American football players.
Top 10 highest paid athletes | Top paid athletes:
The world Famous Forbes Magazine has recently released their latest list of highest paid athletes in the world for 2015-2016.
Boxer Floyd Mayweather, Jr. is ranked number one in this list with $105 million yearly. But the exceptional fact is that he is not making any money on endorsements (all salary) according to Forbes.
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Now here we are presenting the Detail List of top 10 highest paid athletes |top paid athletes for 2016. Most obviously this ranking is based on or more accurately adopted from the official Website of American Magazine Forbes.com.
Let’s check out, who are the highest paid athletes in the world 2016?
10. Matt Ryan – Passing Machine
| Total Earnings | Salary/Winnings | Endorsements |
| $43.8 Million | $42 Million | $1.8 Million |
Age: 29
Sport: Football
Residence: Duluth, GA
Citizenship: United States
Matt Ryan definitely isn’t one of the most famous sportsmen in the world. But still, the American football player is a bigger earner than football sensation Neymar, MS Dhoni and Lewis Hamilton. And MS Dhoni. Currently he is the quarterback for Atlanta Falcons. The number 10th highest paid athlete earns $43.8 million annually. And a new contract signed last year, which saw him become the team’s franchise quarterback.
Matt Ryan signed a five-year contract for $103.75 million with Atlanta Falcaons last year. The contract includes a $28 million signing bonus and $12 million option bonus. He is considered the top paid NFL player over last 12 months. Average $20.75 million annual value was the second highest in NFL. Only Aaron Rodgers at the time of the signing as Colin Kaepernick surpassed Ryan successfully.
Matty Ice bolsters his playing income with nearly $2 million a year. Most of them are from appearances and sponsors like Nike, Liquid Nutrition and Comcast. He becomes the Falcons all-time leader in passing yards for recent years.
Matt Ryan is currently at number 10 in the list of highest paid athletes 2016. The 10th of the top paid athletes earns $42 million as salary and $1.8 million as endorsement.
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09. Rafael Nadal – Fighting Champion
| Total Earnings | Salary/Winnings | Endorsements |
| $44.5 Million | $14.5 Million | $30 Million |
Age: 28
Sport: Tennis
Residence: Manacor, Spain
Citizenship: Spain
Rafael Nadal’s way of playing is definitely unpleasant for any opponent for his aggressive and dynamic abilities. The Spanish tennis star is often hindered by injuries. But never left for fighting back later. As usual, his reward hasn’t just been on the court field. The Spaniard’s yearly earnings total amount announces him as the 9th highest paid athlete for the upcoming year.
Rafael Nadal had a monster 2013 season. That time he just went 75-7 and finished ranked first in the world of Tennis. He won two Grand Slams (French Open, U.S. Open). Also he was runner-up at Australia in January this year. He added a ninth French Open title in June. Which is now 66-1 all time at Roland Garros. Probably this monumental evident makes turns him within the top 10 highest paid athletes.
The wins and top year-end rankings kicked in bonuses from sponsors. Within just one single year he had earned in total $14.5 million prize money. Being one of the best paid athletes, his biggest endorsement partner is Nike. His earnings are heavily tied to his year-end rank. Currently there are some other sponsors with him. Babolat, Banc Sabadell Atlantico, Mapfre, Richard Mille, Poker Stars, Kia Motors and Mueller are some of them.
Namely Master of Clay Court, Nadal is at number 9 in this list of highest paid athletes in the world. The 9th of the top paid athletes has a total earning of $44.5 million per year, from which $14.5 million is salary and $30 million is endorsement/ commercial deals.
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08. Phil Mickelson – Lucrative Lefty
| Total Earnings | Salary/Winnings | Endorsements |
| $53.2 Million | $5.2 Million | $48 Million |
Age: 44
Sport: Golf
Residence: Rancho Santa Fe, CA
Citizenship: United States
Phil Mickelson is perhaps one of the most chilled out sportsmen in the list of top ten highest paid athletes 2016. The 44-year-old US golfer has managed over 50 tournament wins in his career. The 8th ranked highest paid athlete has a yearly salary of $53.2 million.
Mickelson picked up valuable sponsor bonuses last year for winning the British Open. This was his first time winning the title. He earns more than $40 million annually from appearances. And the rest from sponsors like Callaway, KPMG, Barclay’s, Exxon Mobil, Amgen/Pfizer and Rolex.
Being one of the highest paid professional athletes, he picked up a deal to promote psoriatic arthritis drug Enbrel after he was diagnosed with the disease in 2010. He also used the drug for his treatment. Phil Mickelson has racked up 42 PGA victories (ninth all-time), $74 million in career prize money (second all-time). He had won five major titles (second-most during the past 20 years). Though Mickelson is under investigation by the FBI and SEC for making stock trades on nonpublic information, the golfer has denied any wrongdoings.
Philip Alfred Mickelson is currently at number 8 in the list of highest paid athletes 2016. The 8th of the top paid athletes earns $5.2 million as salary and $48 million as endorsements. He is also the oldest member to be found himself in this most earning athletes list.
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07. Roger Federer – Swiss Guarantee
| Total Earnings | Salary/Winnings | Endorsements |
| $56.2 Million | $4.2 Million | $52 Million |
Age: 33
Sport: Tennis
Residence: Bottmingen, Switzerland
Citizenship: Switzerland
Sometimes his rivals Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal seem to have taken over on the court. But the Tennis legend (namely the Swiss guarantee) Roger Federer still earns the most in the world of tennis. Even though he hasn’t added to his 17 Grand Slam titles. But his endorsement list is still a big reason that Federer earns $56.2 million per year as the 7th highest paid athlete in the world.
Roger Federer continues to be among the world’s best players 16 years after he turned pro himself. He holds the records for most singles Grand Slam wins, in total which is 17. His career prize money summation is $81 million. Federer appeared in a staggering 18 out of 19 Grand Slam finals between 05 to 10.
His endorsement portfolio is filled with long-term deals that definitely bring him among the highest paid athletes in the world. Nike, Rolex and Credit Suisse are some of his sponsors. His sponsors collectively pay him more than $40 million per year. The latest addition is champagne brand Moet & Chandon. They have signed Federer to a five-year deal a s being one of the most earning athletes.
Roger Federer is the number 7 of this list of top 10 highest paid athletes 2016. The 7th of the top paid athletes earns total $56.2 million per year, $4.2 million as salary and $52 million as endorsements.
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06. Tiger Woods – Billionaire Golfer
| Total Earnings | Salary/Winnings | Endorsements |
| $61.2 Million | $6.2 Million | $55 Million |
Age: 38
Sport: Golf
Residence: Jupiter Island, FL
Citizenship: United States
Tiger Woods is not playing the best golf of his life at the moment. He is two years older than Kobe Bryant, but he still pulls in a remarkable $61.2 million per year. That makes him the 6th highest paid athlete in the world. Most of that money comes from endorsements as he has already lost his unbelievable swing.
Woods became the first sportsman ever to have earned over $1 billion. He underwent back surgery at the end of March that sidelined him for the Masters for the first time. This was the latest bump in the road in Wood’s quest to break Jack Nicklaus’ record. The record is of 18 major titles. Being one of the best paid athletes Woods has been stuck on 14 majors since the 2008 US Open.
His earnings took a hit when Electronic Arts announced in 2013. His eponymous video game after 16 versions series generated nearly $800 million in sales. Nike renewed its deal with Woods in 2013. They built a golf division on the back of Woods that registered sales of $791 million. Woods’ continues to be one of the highest paid athletes thanks to his sponsor’s deals.
Woods’ golf course-design business has also picked up after multiple blowups. Currently tiger woods is at number 6 in the list of top 10 highest paid athletes 2016. The 6th of the top paid athletes earns $6.2 million as salary and $55 million as endorsements in 2016. Definitely he is one of the Greatest Golfer of All Time.
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05. Kobe Bryant – Reliable Star Qualities
| Total Earnings | Salary/Winnings | Endorsements |
| $61.5 Million | $30.5 Million | $31 Million |
Age: 36
Sport: Basketball
Residence: Newport Beach, CA
Citizenship: United States
Kobe’s career in the NBA has become nothing short of epic story. Kobe Bryant has played in 16 NBA All-Star games. Among them he has been NBA champion for five times. Currently he is playing for The LA Lakers. He is now 36-years-old and remains one of the most iconic players of basketball. On top of that, the 5th highest paid athlete earns $61.5 million per year.
Bryant had the highest salary in the NBA for the fourth straight year during last season. The total $30.5 million salary is nearly $8 million higher than any other in this ground. He inked a two-year $48.5 million contract extension in November 2013. That will keep the highest paid athlete in the world on-court salary tops in the NBA.
Bryant’s jersey was still the NBA’s third best seller during the season 2013-2014. Kobe Bryant ranks fourth on the NBA’s all-time scoring list. He has deals with Turkish Air, Hublot, Nike and Lenovo. In total these endorsements worth more than $30 million per year.
The second highest paid NBA Basketball Player is currently at number 5 in this list of highest paid athletes in the world. The 5th of the top paid athletes earns $30.5 million as salary and $31 million as endorsement per year. He has undoubtedly the biggest contract in NBA.
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04. Lionel Messi – Unique Story
| Total Earnings | Salary/Winnings | Endorsements |
| $64.7 Million | $41.7 Million | $23 Million |
Age: 27
Sport: Soccer
Residence: Castelldefels, Spain
Citizenship: Argentina
Lionel Messi is the world’s fourth highest earning athlete. He has already grabbed people’s attention at an even younger age than LeBron James and so many. The argentine youngster moved to Spanish football club, Barcelona and developed his skills and size. The world star is now being considered as the 4th highest paid athlete 2016.
Messi finished as runner up in 2013 Ballon d’Or after winning it a record four consecutive times. He has Sponsors like Adidas, who launched his signature shoe last year. The Turkish Airlines also paired him with NBA superstar Kobe Bryant. Jointly they have invested heavily in Barcelona’s most prolific footballer.
In turn, so has the Spanish tax authority. They investigated him and his father for image rights tax evasion and ordered him to pay $6.5 million. Messi signed his 7th contract in 11 years which will pay him $50 million a year pre-tax and extend his stay at Camp Nou. This deal will continue till 2019. And Messi will be one of the giants in top ten highest paid athletes list.
Perhaps the Man have more records than anyone in Soccer’s History. Lionel Messi is now at the 4th stand in our list of highest paid athletes in the world. The 4th of the top paid athletes earns $41.7 million as salary and $23 million as endorsements. The new contract will see him earni8ng 27 million per season.
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03. LeBron James – King James
| Total Earnings | Salary/Winnings | Endorsements |
| $72.3 Million | $19.3 Million | $53 Million |
Age: 29
Sport: Basketball
Residence: Coconut Grove, FL
Citizenship: United States
Though highly-touted from a young age, 29-year-old LeBron James has already turned himself into a basketball icon all-time. He’s been voted the NBA’s Most Valuable Player four times. On top of being a global ambassador for his sport, he is the 3rd highest paid athlete in the world 2016.
The four MVP awards have made LeBron James the king of the NBA. James is the NBA’s biggest endorsement star. And got deals with Nike, Coca-Cola, McDonald’s and Upper Deck. Sales of his signature Nike shoes were tops among active players at $300 million in the U.S. last year.
According to research firm SportsOneSource his jersey was the NBA’s best-seller last season. Being one of the best paid athletes, James’ earnings also got a boost from the sale of Beats to Apple for $3 billion. He just owned a small piece of the business and helped make the brand a must-have accessory.
LeBron James Remains the Highest Paid Basketball Player in this List for 2016. He is at number 3 in this list of highest paid athletes in the world. The 3rd of the top paid athletes earns more than $72.3 million per year. $19.3 million as salary and $53 million as endorsements.
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02. Cristiano Ronaldo – Rich, Beautiful and Fast
| Total Earnings | Salary/Winnings | Endorsements |
| $80 Million | $52 Million | $28 Million |
Age: 29
Sport: Soccer
Residence: Madrid, Spain
Citizenship: Portugal
Cristiano Ronaldo is undoubtedly one of the most talented footballers of our time. And he is also one of the vainest. If he plays a 90 minute game in non-stop rain, still leaves the pitch looking great. No surprise that part of Cristiano Ronaldo’s earnings come from his own fashion label. The 2nd highest paid athlete in the world currently earns total $80 million per year.
The Portugal and Real Madrid star was voted the sport’s most valuable player in the world previously. It was the second time in his career after scoring 69 goals in 59 club and country matches. Real Madrid rewarded him with a record 5-year contract worth more than $200 million.
Last time he went on to help the team win its tenth Champions League title. Ronaldo’s commercially good looks have landed him mega sponsorships like Tag Heuer and a personal brand of underwear labeled CR7 and Nike deal.
Cristiano Ronaldo is currently the second of the top paid athletes in 2015-2016 session. The number 2 of the highest paid athletes earn almost $52 million per year as salary and $28 million as endorsements. He is Ahead of Lionel Messi with some distance.
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01. Floyd Mayweather – The Number One
| Total Earnings | Salary/Winnings | Endorsements |
| $105 Million | $105 Million | 0 |
Age: 37
Sport: Boxing
Residence: Las Vegas, NV
Citizenship: United States
47 fights, 47 wins: unbeatable records. Floyd Mayweather Jr. is an ace in the ring. A marketing genius outside also. The 37-year-old boxing welterweight world champion is the one and only highest paid athlete in this sporting world. He is the only person to earn more than $100 million per year.
Mayweather is the first athlete (besides Tiger Woods) to earn $100 million in Forbes’ annual tally. His September 2013 fight against Canelo Alvarez set records for highest PPV gross, which is not less than $150 million. The Canelo fight marked the second bout in the blockbuster 30-month.
Mayweather earned a guaranteed $32 million for his May fight with Marcos Maidana. That time the PPV buys are expected to finish between 900,000 and one million. Compared to 2.2 million for Mayweather-Alvarez, Mayweather pocketed $105 million for the two bouts thanks to his role as both pugilist and promoter.
He is the genuine undefeated professional Boxer of his generation. The most Ridiculous star Mayweather is at top of this list of highest paid athletes in the world 2016. The number one top paid athlete earns total $105 million as salary and surprisingly no endorsements.
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Highest Paid Athlete rankings:
The list of 100 athletes includes one cricket player, one track & field athlete, four boxers, five golfers, six tennis players, six race-car drivers, 15 soccer players, 17 football players, 18 basketball players and 27 baseball players – according to Forbes.com
Three women make the top 100 list and they’re all tennis players. Maria Sharapova at No. 34 ($24.4 million), Li Na is No. 41 ($23.6 million) and Serena Williams is No. 55 ($22 million)..
You can check out the other 90 highest paid athletes from Forbes Magazine (forbes.com)
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Amazing description on paid athletes and one of my favorite is Cristiano Ronaldo.
From all the top athletes he is the only …whahahah
Well said
mayweather best of luck
Best of luck top10 athletes
Lewis Hamilton has a 2015 $150 million 3 year salary contract with Mercedes AMG excluding endorsements. That’s $50million a year. We’re talking base salary, athlete or not which F1 drivers are.
What hapen on f1
Is is all about money….it is to one dimensional Mayweather! If the fans could fix boxing and its problematic "Scoring" Mayweather would loose most of the contest he has been in. He constantly holds his rivals over and over with No Penalty just a bunch of warnings with no points awarded for "NOT BOXING"….his fights are very boring because of this and it has made the Sport of Boxing lose it's flare!
Yes so true, great comment….why do we idolize these individuals for just vanity!? Where is the humanity projects and their work in the Real world efforts of pain and human sufferings that are all around them?! Mayweather is one of the more disgusting humans on our planet, vanity and a complete self centered individual. Show the masses what charity work these people are doing!??
This isn’t updated
Sebastian vettel f1 driver goes home with like $50 million a year and another $30 million bonus
STFU
Siike.. mayweather my G
Earlemman Floyd won the fight wit Pacquiao so uk what that mean lol still #1
It's ridiculous how much these athletes are paid. No one needs that kind of money. There are way too many more important people and projects to benefit all of humanity then the few hours of entertainment these athletes provide. Feeding the world, clean water, teachers, scientists, doctors, decent education, decent low income housing, medical research just to name a few.
Mayweather won :/
messi no 1!
Ronaldo no 2
Kobe no 3 ♥
Tiger woods no 4
LEBRON no 5
Team Mayweather! Wealthiest athlete on the planet!
he will be on the 7th or 8th spot when he's been beaten by pacquiao
messi best ever….
ororo
CR 7 super heavy
I salute D Boss May weather..Richest Sport Man..105 million Dollars..ZERO Endorsements…all Based On Salary
I salute D Boss May weather..No Endorsement…No 1..
Cristiano remains the highest paid football player in the world no doubt. Just make your research anywhere that’s the challenge I give you doubters.
These facts are false. Nadal and federers salaries are both from 2013. So therefore it’s wrong to use them in this context. Proof can be found on their profiles on the atp world tour website
Lionel is the most paid athlete right now
no ronaldo is more paid
I SALUTE
Yet another article that doesnt classify f1 drivers as athletes.
Its not that they are not athletes, its that they dont earn exhuberant amounts of money
Check your stats. F1 drivers are one of the most highly paid ATHLETES in the world. So, golf pros are athletes right? Is golf a sport?
no one really likes car driver bro