Real Madrid star Christiano Ronaldo has surpassed boxer Floyd Mayweather as the highest-paid athlete in the world in 2016, according to Forbes. Ronaldo earned a total of $88 million, which was $6.6 million ahead of Lionel Messi.
Mayweather topped Forbes’ list of the highest-paid athletes in the world the past two years, but dropped down to No. 16 in this year’s list, which combines each athlete’s annual salary or winnings with their endorsements to come up with a total dollar figure.
The rest of the top 10 included Messi, LeBron James of the Cleveland Cavaliers, Kevin Durant of the Oklahoma City Thunder, recently-retired NBA star Kobe Bryant, Cam Newton of the Carolina Panthers, tennis icons Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic, Kevin Durant of the Oklahoma City Thunder, and golfers Phil Mickelson and Jordan Spieth.
You can see the entire top-100 list here.
Highest-paid athletes (salary/winnings and endorsements combined)
| Name | Amount | Sport |
|---|---|---|
| Cristiano Ronaldo | $88 million | Soccer |
| Lionel Messi | $81.4 million | Soccer |
| LeBron James | $77.2 million | Basketball |
| Roger Federer | $67.8 million | Tennis |
| Kevin Durant | $56.2 million | Basketball |
| Novak Djokovic | $55.8 million | Tennis |
| Cam Newton | $53.1 million | Football |
| Phil Mickelson | $52.9 million | Golf |
| Jordan Spieth | $52.8 million | Golf |
| Kobe Bryant | $50 million | Basketball |
Here are some takeaways from the list:
No NHL representation: Not one hockey player appeared in the top-100. It was a bit surprising that Sidney Crosby nor Alex Ovechkin weren’t able to surpass the likes of Indianapolis Colts left tackle Anthony Castonzo, Pittsburgh Steelers defensive lineman Cam Heyward, former MLB pitcher Cliff Lee (who isn’t even on an MLB roster in 2016) and Carl Crawford, who was designated for assignment by the Los Angeles Dodgers last week.
MLB is the best repped: There were 26 baseball players to land on the list, which was the highest of any sport. Some notables included Toronto Blue Jays shortstop Troy Tulowitzki, who ranked No. 79 and ahead of David Ortiz and Jacoby Ellsbury. Tulowitzki was the only Blue Jay to appear on the list while former Toronto pitcher David Price came in at No. 65 with $23.8 million.
U.S. dominated: The top-100 athletes hailed from 23 different countries but the Americans were the most represented — by far — with 65 landing on the list.
NBA holds up, too: Outside of baseball, basketball players were the most represented. Former Toronto Raptors star Chris Bosh appeared at No. 55 on the list while Golden State Warriors guard Stephen Curry came in at No. 69 overall. He’s sure to gain some more marketability if the Warriors lock up their second straight championship.
Mix of young and old: The youngest athletes to appear on the list were Spieth, Neymar, Cavs guard Kyrie Irving, James Rodriguez, and recently-paid pass rusher Olivier Vernon of the New York Giants while the oldest athletes included Phil Mickelson, Dale Earnhardt Jr., Alex Rodriguez, Ortiz, Jimmie Johnson, Tiger Woods, and Super Bowl-winning quarterback Peyton Manning.
Phil’s raking it in: It was striking to see Mickelson land No. 3 overall in terms of total endorsements, only behind LeBron and Federer. Mickelson racked up a total of $50 million in endorsements, which ranked ahead of Woods, Durant, Nadal, Djokovic, Spieth, Ronaldo, and Usain Bolt.
Highest-paid athletes based on endorsements
| Name | Amount | Sport |
|---|---|---|
| Roger Federer | $60 million | Tennis |
| LeBron James | $54 million | Basketball |
| Phil Mickelson | $50 million | Golf |
| Tiger Woods | $45 million | Golf |
| Kevin Durant | $36 million | Basketball |
| Rory McIlroy | $35 million | Golf |
| Novak Djokovic | $34 million | Tennis |
| Rafael Nadal | $32 million | Tennis |
| Jordan Spieth | $32 million | Golf |
| Cristiano Ronaldo | $32 million | Soccer |
QBs get all the love: Most of the NFL athletes to appear on the list were quarterbacks. The tops were Newton, Eli Manning, Joe Flacco, Tom Brady, Russell Wilson, and Philip Rivers before Buffalo Bills defensive tackle Marcell Dareus finished as the highest-non-quarterback at No. 26 overall. Who would’ve thunk it?
Highest-paid athletes based on salary/winnings
| Name | Amount | Sport |
|---|---|---|
| Cristiano Ronaldo | $56 million | Soccer |
| Lionel Messi | $53.4 million | Soccer |
| Joe Flacco | $44.5 million | Football |
| Lewis Hamilton | $46 million | Auto Racing |
| Cam Newton | $41.1 million | Football |
| Sebastian Vettel | $40 million | Auto Racing |
| Philip Rivers | $37.5 million | Football |
| Eli Manning | $37 million | Football |
| Tom Brady | $36.1 million | Football |
| Marcell Dareus | $35.1 million | Football |