Sports, a multi million dollar career: This is what top 10 athletes earned last year

​Topping the list is Cristiano Ronaldo, the 38 year old Portuguese soccer player. Ronaldo has made $46 million on-field and $90 million off-field with his income totaling to roughly $136 million. This is the highest earnings reported in his career. He also has 850 million followers across Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

​Argentina’s star soccer player Lionell Messi’s total income is $130 million — split up as $65 million on-field and another $65 million off-field. The top rated endorsements of this 35 year old include PepsiCo, Adidas and Budweiser. In October, he launched Play Time, an investment firm. ​

​Third in the list of athletes with top incomes is Kylian Mbappe with an estimated on-field earnings of $100 million and off-field earnings of $20 million. Mbappe is a soccer player from France. Last year, Mbappe was in the 35th position among the world’s highest earning players. Sorare, a crypto-currency company, made him its first player ambassador in June.​

​Basketball legend LeBron James earned $119.5 million during the year. The 38 year old is also the first active athlete to become a Forbes certified billionaire in June. He has a stake in Fenway Sports Group and has invested in the sportswear brand Mitchell & Ness, and Neutral Foods, a climate-conscious dairy company. ​

​Canelo Álvarez’s total income for the period is estimated at $110 million. The 32 year old Mexican boxer is associated with Yaoca, the famed sports drink and I Can, a renowned sportswear brand. He also has his own branded credit card, a cocktail brand and a clothing brand too. ​

Dustin Johnson ranks sixth on the list with an income of $107 million. The US based golf player is 38 years old. Johnson is the first star to jump to LIV Golf during last May. His 2022 tour fetched him $35.6 million as prize money.

​Phil Mickelson, 52 year old golf player based in the US, earned $106 million. During last year, his career pre-tax earnings surpassed $1 billion. He is the co-founder of the coffee supplements company Wellness, and also purchased a huge plot of land outside of Phoenix.​

​Stephen Curry, who ranks eighth on the list, earned $100.4 million in the twelve month period. This 35 year old US-based basketball star plays almost exclusively at the point guard position and is known to be one of the greatest shooters in NBA history. ​

​Roger Federer’s total income for the period is an estimated $95.1 million. The Switzerland based tennis player declared his retirement from competitive tennis last September when he turned 40. Last week, the tennis legend announced a licensing agreement with Oliver People’s eyewear brand.

​Kevin Durant earned an estimated $89.1 million. The US based basketball player has stakes in several entities like Premier Lacrosse League, League One Volleyball, nutrition brand Happy Viking, and others.