Lionel Messi has topped the list of Forbes Highest-Paid Athletes 2022 with a reported income of $130 million, followed by Basketball player, Lebron James with $121.2 million while Cristiano Ronaldo was third with $115 million. Messi had moved from Barcelona to Paris Saint-Germain in August 2021 and Cristiano Ronaldo rejoined Manchester United from Juventus in the same month. Forbes calculates the estimates based on prize money, salaries and bonuses, and sponsorship deals.
The top 10 highest earners, collectively brought in $992 million in pre-tax gross earnings over the last year.
- Lionel Messi: $130 million
- LeBron James: $121.2 million
- Cristiano Ronaldo: $115 million
- Neymar: $95 million
- Stephen Curry: $92.8 million
- Kevin Durant: $92.1 million
- Roger Federer: $90.7 million
- Canelo Alvarez: $90 million
- Tom Brady: $83.9 million
- Giannis Antetokounmpo: $80.9 million
