10 highest paid sportsmen in the world

What’s the story?

Business magazine Forbes released the highest paid athletes list for 2016 and it definitely makes for interesting reading. The list takes into account both the salary/winnings of the athlete along with the endorsement deals.

Footballing demigods Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi head the list followed by Basketball’s biggest superstar Lebron James. While Ronaldo gets the highest salary, his earnings from endorsement are way behind that of Tennis legend Roger Federer.

Some surprising names who are not in top 10 are Tiger Woods who is at 12th, Rafael Nadal and Neymar who are at 21, Zlatan Ibrahimovic at 23, Gareth Bale at 25 and Usain Bolt at 32.

Surprisingly, Indian cricketers Virat Kohli and Mahendra Singh Dhoni do not make even the top 100 of this list even though they were rated as #19 and #12 most marketable athletes respectively.

In case you didn’t know...

Both Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi take the number 1 and number 2 position largely thanks to their balanced earnings from both salary and endorsements. Roger Federer earned the most through endorsements in 2016.

While Roger Federer is undoubtedly one of the greatest sportsmen of our generation, it is slightly surprising that he heads the list as he missed a major chunk of last year’s action through injury. However, brands seem to have an immense liking for the 18 time Grand Slam champion and have remained loyal to him.

Speaking about Federer's high position in the list, Jacques de Cock, faculty member at London School of Marketing said:

“Despite Roger Federer’s slow year in terms of success in his sport, his successful endorsement deals show that personal characteristics can also be an important part of long-lasting sponsorships.”

The heart of the matter

Almost all the stars on this list barring young golfer Jordan Spieth and American footballer Cam Newton are above 28 showing that brands like to go for trusted faces when it comes to marketing.

Another shocking fact is that only 2 women make the top 100 list, with recently crowned Australian open champions Serena Williams at #40 and Russian tennis star Maria Sharapova at #88.

Here is the complete breakdown of how much the top 10 athletes earned in 2016: (All the figures are in million $)

RankNameSportSalary/winnings Endorsements Total1Cristiano RonaldoFootball5632882Lionel MessiFootball53.42881.43Lebron JamesBasketball23.25477.24Roger FedererTennis7.86067.85Kevin DurantBasketball20.23656.26Novak DjokovicTennis21.83455.87Cam NewtonAmerican football41.11253.18Phil MickelsonGolf2.95052.99Jordan SpiethGolf20.83252.810Kobe BryantBasketball252550

What’s next?

With Roger Federer returning to form with an astonishing 18th Grand slam victory, we might see the Swiss maestro even higher up the list next time around. Also, stars like Virat Kohli will look to continue their good performances and make an entry into the top 100 list next year.

Also, the gender disparity in pay for top athletes should be resolved and it will be heartening to see more women athletes in the top 100 next year.

Sportskeeda’s take

Tennis, football, golf and basketball are all global sports and it is no surprise that these disciplines dominate the list. With brands deciding to pay over the odds for star power, the list is expected to be more or less the same for the foreseeable future.