Five of the world's highest-paid athletes

Of course, as an athlete you have to give up many things in order to be the very best, but some people get a nice amount of money in return. From lucrative sponsorship deals to your own gas stations; MASTERS looks at how the best-paid athletes in the world earn their money.

5. Canelo Alvarez 

With fights against Dmitry Bivol and Golovkin, among others, the boxer manages to collect several millions every time he steps into the ring. But outside the ring, the boxer also has a number of lucrative sponsorship deals with brands such as Hennessy and Michelob Ultra. Because he signed with Excel Sports Management last year, these types of deals are only expected to increase. The athlete is also active as an entrepreneur; he is the man behind sports drink brand Yaoca and fitness app I Can and Canelo Energy gas station. Both in and outside the ring, the boxer earns €100 million annually.

 

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4. LeBron James

He is also considered one of the best basketball players ever. But LeBron proves all too well that today's top athletes are also successful founders and investors. In June, Forbes named him the first active athlete to be a billionaire. For example, a few years ago the NBA legend founded the media and entertainment company The SpringHill Company and the sports nutrition company Ladder. In total, the basketball player's earnings amount to € 110 million per year.

 

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3. Kylian Mbappe

With a total of €111 million per year in earnings and an age of 24, Mbappé is the only athlete in this list under the age of 30. The French star player turned down Real Madrid's offer last year and decided to join Paris Saint Germain until 2025 to stay. The club persuaded him, among other things, by including in the contract that he would from now on be involved in important decisions within the club. Mbappé's gross income in salary - excluding bonuses and other premiums - is reportedly six million euros per month.

 

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2 Lionel Messi

Messi can leave Paris Saint-Germain on a free transfer after this season. The question remains what the future holds; will he return to Barcelona or will he join a club in Saudi Arabia, just like Ronaldo did? In any case, the footballer does not seem to have to do it for a well-filled account. Collaborations with brands such as Adidas, PepsiCo and Budweiser alone earn him an estimated €18 million per year. Together with his earnings on the field, this athlete's earnings amount to € 120 million.

 

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1. Cristiano Ronaldo 

Ronaldo parted ways with Manchester United in November and joined Saudi football club Al Nassr in January. The move earned him a significant salary increase. With a total of 850 million followers on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter, the five-time Ballon d'Or winner also has an attractive revenue model off the field. Through collaborations with various companies - of which crypto platform Binance is a new addition - his earnings increased to € 12 million in the past 83 months. The footballer's total earnings amount to €125 million. This puts Ronaldo once again at a lonely height in the list of the highest-earning athletes in the world.

 

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