Top 10 highest paid athletes in the world

You love to see your favourite sportspersons perform on the field. And then you see them off-field, enjoying their luxurious lifestyle, expensive cars, big villas and more of that. You wonder how much money they are making by just playing.Well, here is a list of the top 10 highest paid athletes.

#10 Matt Ryan

Matt Ryan is the highest paid American footballer

Age	29
Sport Played	Football
Earnings	$ 43.8 Million
Salary	$42 M
Endorsements	$1.8 M

Ryan signed a five-year, $103.75 million contract last year with the Atlanta Falcons that included a $28 million signing bonus and a $12 million option bonus paid in March. The deal made him the NFL's top-paid player over the last 12 months. The $20.75 million average annual value was the second highest in the NFL behind only Aaron Rodgers at the time of the signing (Colin Kaepernick has since surpassed Ryan). Matty Ice bolsters his playing income with nearly $2 million a year from appearances, memorabilia and sponsors Nike, Comcast and Liquid Nutrition

#9 Rafael Nadal

Nadal suffered his worst defeat in over 10 years to Italy’s Fabio Fognini

Age	28
Sport Played	Tennis
Earnings	$ 44.5 Million
Salary	$14.5 M
Endorsements	$30 M

Nadal had a monster 2013 season where he went 75-7 and finished ranked No. 1 in the world. The wins and top year-end ranking kicked in bonuses from sponsors in addition to the $14.5 million in prize money he earned between June 2013 and June 2014. Nadal's biggest endorsement partner is Nike where his earnings are heavily tied to his year-end rank. Other current sponsors include Babolat, Mapfre, Banc Sabadell Atlantico, Richard Mille, Kia Motors, Mueller and Poker Stars.

#8 Phil Mickelson

Phil Mickelson finished second in the recently concluded Augusta Masters

Age	44
Sport Played	Golf
Earnings	$ 53 .2 Million
Salary	$5.2 M
Endorsements	$48 M

Mickelson earns more than $40 million annually from appearances and endorsement partners: Callaway, Barclay's, KPMG, Exxon Mobil, Rolex and Amgen/Pfizer. He picked up a deal to promote psoriatic arthritis drug Enbrel after he was diagnosed with the disease in 2010 and used the drug for his treatment. Mickelson has racked up 42 PGA victories (ninth all-time), $74 million in career prize money (second all-time) and five major titles (second-most during the past 20 years). Mickelson is under investigation by the FBI and SEC for making stock trades on nonpublic information.

#7 Roger Federer

Roger Federer faced a shock defeat at the hands of Frenchman Gael Monfils at the Monte Carlo Masters

Age	33
Sport Played	Tennis
Earnings	$ 56.2 Million
Salary	$4.2 M
Endorsements	$52 M

Federer continues to be among the world's best players 16 years after he turned pro. He holds the records for most singles Grand Slam wins (17) and career prize money ($81 million). He appeared in a staggering 18 out of 19 Grand Slam finals between 2005 and 2010. His endorsement portfolio is filled with long-term deals with blue-chip companies like Nike, Rolex and Credit Suisse. His sponsors collectively pay him more than $40 million annually. The latest addition is champagne brand Moet & Chandon, which signed Federer to a five-year deal at the end of 2012.

#6 Tiger Woods

Woods failed to impress at the Augusta Masters this season

Age	39
Sport Played	Golf
Earnings	$ 61.2 Million
Salary	$6.2 M
Endorsements	$55 M

Woods' earnings took a hit when Electronic Arts announced in 2013 that it would end its relationship with Woods and his eponymous video game after 16 versions. The series generated nearly $800 million in sales, according to NPD Group. Nike renewed its deal with Woods in 2013. The company built a golf division on the back of Woods that registered sales of $791 million in Nike's 2013 fiscal year. Woods' continues to be one of the highest-paid athletes thanks to his Nike deal and a series of lucrative appearance fees for tournaments outside the U.S. before he got hurt. Woods' golf course-design business has also picked up after multiple blowups.

#5 Kobe Bryant

Kobe Bryant had a disappointing 2015 season as LA Lakers finished bottom of their conference

Age	36
Sport Played	Basketball
Earnings	$ 61.5 Million
Salary	$30.5 M
Endorsements	$31 M

Bryant had the highest salary in the NBA for the fourth straight year during the 2013-14 season. His $30.5 million salary is nearly $8 million higher than any other player. He inked a two-year, $48.5 million contract extension in November 2013 that will keep his on-court salary tops in the NBA. Bryant jersey was NBA's third best seller during the season after LeBron James and Kevin Durant. His deals with Turkish Air, Lenovo, Hublot, Nike and Panini for merchandise are worth more than $30 million annually. He invested $4-6 million this year to buy more than 10% of emerging sports drink BodyArmour. It was the first investment made by his new company Kobe Inc.

#4 Lionel Messi

Messi recently scored his 400^th goal for FC Barcelona

Age	27
Sport Played	Soccer
Earnings	$ 64.7 Million
Salary	$ 41.7 M
Endorsements	$ 23 M

Messi finished as runner up in 2013 Ballon d'Or after winning it a record four consecutive years. Sponsors like Adidas, who launched his signature shoe last year, and Turkish Airlines, who paired him with NBA superstar Kobe Bryant, have invested heavily in Barcelona's most prolific goal scorer. In turn, so has the Spanish tax authority, who investigated him and his father for image rights tax evasion and ordered him to pay $6.5 million. In May, he signed his 7th contract in 11 years which will pay him $50 million a year pre-tax and extend his stay at Camp Nou until 2019.

#3 LeBron James

LeBron James is the highest paid basketball player in NBA history

Age	30
Sport Played	Basketball
Earnings	$72.3 Million
Salary	$19.3 M
Endorsements	$53 M

Back-to-back championships and four MVP awards have made LeBron James the king of the NBA. James is the NBA's biggest endorsement star, thanks to deals with Nike, McDonald's, Coca-Cola, Upper Deck and others. Sales of his signature Nike shoes were tops among active players at $300 million in the U.S. during 2013, and his jersey was the NBA's best-seller. James' earnings also got a boost from the sale of Beats to Apple for $3 billion.

#2 Cristiano Ronaldo

Ronaldo has already scored 39 goals this La Liga season

Age	30
Sport played	Soccer
Earnings	$80 million
Salary	$52 M
Endorsements	$28 M

The Portugal and Real Madrid star was voted the sport's most valuable player in the world in 2013 for the second time in his career after scoring 69 goals in 59 club and country competitions. Real Madrid rewarded him with a record 5-year contract worth more than $200 million.

In May, he went on to help the team win its tenth Champions League title. His commercially good looks have landed him mega sponsorships, like his recent deal with Tag Heuer and a personal brand of underwear labeled CR7 on top of his long-term Nike deal.

#1 Floyd Mayweather

1. 

   Mayweather will square off against Manny Pacquaio in Las Vegas on May 2

Age	38
Sport Played	Boxing
Earnings	$ 105 Million
Salary	$ 105 M
Endorsement	0

• Mayweather is the first athlete besides Tiger Woods to earn $100 million. His September 2013 fight against Canelo Alvarez set records for highest pay-per-view gross ($150 million), live gate ($20 million) and total revenue (roughly $200 million). The Canelo fight marked the second bout in the blockbuster 30-month, six-fight deal he signed with Showtime in 2013. On 2nd May he is gonna face his long time rival Manny Pacquiao in "Fight of the century" & according to the sources it is gonna be around $300M affair in which Maywhether is 60% partner.