Floyd Mayweather is the highest paid athlete of the decade as no Indian finds a place in Top 10. While others in the tally, benefited largely from lucrative sponsorships deals and signings with their clubs, Mayweather stands apart for the fact that the boxer has earned maximum of his pay cheques from pay per view bouts.
According to?Forbes, the professional boxer has earned $915 million in the past 10 years, which is $ 115 million higher than the second-placed Cristiano Ronaldo. The Portugal and Juventus star has earned $800 million in the past one decade with Lionel Messi coming in the third position with the total earnings of $750 million. The two football icons? have held among themselves the FIFA Player of the Year Awards for the decade.
Indian captain Virat Kohli, who is estimated to earn $21m from endorsements and $4m from salary and winnings, taking his total tally to $25m for the last 12 months, doesn't find a place among the Top 10.?
Forbes?has taken into consideration salaries, prize money, bonuses, endorsements, appearance fees and licensing income to calculate the annual rankings of top-earning athletes.?
Floyd Mayweather ($915 mn):?Mayweather pocketed more than $500 million combined for his 2015 and 2017 fights versus Manny Pacquiao and Conor McGregor.
Cristiano Ronaldo ($800 mn):?Ronaldo’s endorsement partners benefit from his massive Instagram and Facebook followings, which both rank as the biggest of any person on the planet.
Lionel Messi ($750 mn):?Messi’s 2019 playing salary for Barcelona is the highest of any athlete across all team sports.
LeBron James: ($680 mn):?James has made more than twice as much from endorsements during his first 16 years in the NBA, compared to his $270 million in playing salary.
Roger Federer ($640 mn): Federer, 38, is on the back end of his tennis career, but his earnings will stay high on the back of a 10-year, $300 million deal with Uniqlo inked in 2018.?
Tiger Woods ($615 mn):?Playing Captain Tiger Woods celebrates with the cup after they defeated the International team 16-14 during the 2019 Presidents Cup. Tiger averaged only 10 PGA Tour events per year during the 2010s, but his endorsement earnings for the decade were tops among athletes.
Phil Mickelson ($480 mn):?Mickelson nabbed the biggest paycheck of his career in 2018 when he defeated his longtime rival Woods in an exhibition for a $9 million purse.
Manny Pacquiao ($435 m):??Pacquiao’s 25 pay-per-view fights have generated 20 million buys and an estimated $1.3 billion in revenue.
Kevin Durant ($425 mn):?Durant’s annual earnings from his salary and endorsements jumped 400% during the course of the decade.
Lewis Hamilton ($400 mn) :?The six-time F1 World Champion as the motor sports’ most marketable athlete commands the biggest pay check.??