Cristiano Ronaldo is the highest-paid footballer with earning of around €64 million over the past year, but he is not the highest-paid sportsman. The Portuguese ranks second behind Floyd Mayweather, according to Forbes magazine. Ronaldo earned €64 million over the past year, while Mayweather earned an impressive €84 million. LeBron James sits in third spot with €58 million and Messi follows in fourth place with €52m. Ronaldo earnings are divided in €41.6 million salary at Real Madrid plus €22,4 million in endorsements through sponsorship deals. Messi, who signed his seventh contract in 11 with Barcelona in May, had a basic salary of €33,6 million (before his extension) and received another €18,4 million in endorsements. Zlatan Ibrahimovic is the next footballer to make the Forbes list and he sits in 12th spot with €32,32 million. Gareth Bale follows in 14th spot with €29,12 million, just ahead of Radamel Falcao with €28,32 million. Brazil’s poster boy, Neymar, sits in 16th spot with earnings of €26,88 million since moving to FC Barcelona. All the figures are based on income over the past 12 months.
Posted on: Thu, 06 Nov 2014 07:25:29 +0000