This Tuesday, Forbes magazine has published the list of the 10 most wealthy male athletes, and many of them share, in one way or another, the Middle East as a great source of income. The signing of Cristiano Ronaldo by Saudi Arabia's Al-Nassr or Leo Messi's role as tourism ambassador for the country, place both footballers in the 'top 3' of this prestigious list. In the case of athletes, the American magazine published the last ranking in December 2022, headed by tennis players Naomi Osaka and Serena Williams and skier Eileen Gu.
The signing of the Portuguese player by Al-Nassar of Saudi Arabia after leaving Manchester United last November, meant a significant increase in his fortune. With an annual salary of 75 million dollars and the opportunity to develop new businesses in the Asian country, the Portuguese is ranked as the highest paid athlete of the year 2023. A condition that he has not held since 2017 and that has only been surpassed by three athletes (Roger Federer, Tiger Woods and Conor McGregor) in Forbes history.
In a few days in which the name of the Argentine has been on everyone's lips due to his uncertain future and the sanction he has received from PSG for missing training without permission from the club, Leo Messi occupies second place on this prestigious list. which accredits him as the second highest paid athlete of 2023. A place that has been earned thanks to the 35 million euros he earns as a player for the Parisian team added to the multiple agreements with brands such as Adidas or PepsiCo and the recent achievement of the title in the World Cup in Qatar.
The young footballer was ranked number 35 on the Forbes list last year and this year he has managed to enter not only the top 10, but also the 'top 3'. He is the only athlete under the age of 30 among the 10 highest paid, and his image rights are highly valued. So much so that on April 6 the player charged against PSG in a message posted on his Instagram account for the exploitation, excessive in his opinion, of his image in a video to attract members .
The list of the top 10 highest paid male athletes this year is completed by LeBron James (119.5 million dollars), the boxer Canelo Álvarez (110), the golfers Dustin Johnson (107) and Phil Mickelson (106), Stephen Curry (100.4), Roger Federer (95.1) and Kevin Durant (89.1), player of the Phoenix Suns.
In the women's ranking, published last December, are the Spanish tennis players Paula Badosa and Garbiñe Muguruza, both within the 'top 30'. Badosa ranks 16th with a fortune of 6.2 million dollars, while Muguruza ranks 24th with 5.2 million dollars.
According to the 2022 Forbes list that closed last December, the Japanese tennis player was the highest paid athlete. Osaka, who announced on January 11 that she was pregnant with her first child, was only surpassed by six athletes who last year earned more than 50 million dollars. Her businesses include a line of skin care products, a production company, and a talent agency. In 2020, she became the highest-earning female athlete of all time.
The second place on the list is occupied by the American tennis player Serena Williams who, like her partner, is also pregnant but with her second child. The winner of 23 Grand Slam titles, who hung up the racket last September, she has spent years diversifying her earnings and in 2022 she was the co-founder of a company dedicated to creating pain relief products for athletes. Considered one of the best players in the world, the youngest of the Williams sisters earned a total of 41 million dollars last year from her business and sponsorships, in addition to 300,000 from her sports activity.
The young skier completed her ascent to the elite in February 2022 after winning two gold medals and one silver at the Winter Olympics held in Beijing. Born and raised in San Francisco, she represents China in competitions for her mother's home country. Although he only received $100,000 for her sporting successes, she made her fortune from her multiple sponsors who bet on her. Red Bull, Therabody and Louis Vuitton among others knocked on her door.
