Since 1917, Forbes has been a publication that features a wide array of topics including investing, finance, technology, and marketing to its readers. Among the most popular are their lists like the Forbes 400 (which ranks the richest Americans) and their Forbes 500 (ranking the top American companies), each of which are done annually.
Another popular list is ranking the wealthiest athletes in the world, usually going out to the top one hundred, but we will focus on the top twenty-five in this article. The methodology for this list includes how much money athletes (active only) earn via their salaries (including bonuses, prize money, etc), as well as any endorsement deals they have made with other companies in the past twelve months.
In 2015, the top five richest were Roger Federer ($67 million), Lionel Messi ($73.8 million), Cristiano Ronaldo ($79.6 million), Manny Pacquiao ($160 million), and Floyd Mayweather ($300 million). Clearly, looking at last year, soccer and boxing were the places to be ($300 million, really?). So, how did these five do this year? Well, one completely fell off the list, while some NBA and NFL players moved up in the rankings.
Enough talk, though. Here are the twenty-five wealthiest athletes of 2016!
49 25. Gareth Bale – $35.9 Million
A standout winger for Real Madrid, Bale had a calf injury that kept him out for a couple of months in the past year. Even though the injury lowered his starts, Bale was still able to score nineteen goals in twenty-three appearances.
His yearly salary plus any bonuses came to $24.9 million, with endorsements bringing in another $11 million, much of which comes from Adidas. Ranked twelfth on ESPN’s world’s most famous athletes list, at only 26 years Bale still has plenty of time to rake in the dough.
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47 24. Fernando Alonso - $36.5 Million
After spending 4 years with Ferrari, Alonso joined up with McLaren-Honda to continue his winning ways in F1 racing. With 2 championships and 32 wins to his name, Alonso was looking to stay at the top, but 2016 had other ideas for him.
Finishing 17th in the standings, Alonso had a particularly nasty crash as his car ended up barrel rolling into a concrete barrier at 180 mph, partially collapsing one of his lungs and causing rib fractures. For his work, McLaren-Honda pays him a cool $35 million, while endorsements kick in an additional $1.5 million.
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45 23. Zlatan Ibrahimovic - $37.4 Million
Say that name three times fast! In 2016, Ibrahimovic received $30.4 million from Paris Saint-Germain along with $7 million in endorsements, most prominently from Nike.
As his club’s all-time leading goal scorer at 113 goals, Zlatan has been able to pile up the awards including three “Player of the Year.” Known as one of the greatest strikers ever, Zlatan has also played for Sweden’s nation team every year since 2001 scoring an amazing sixty-two goals in 113 appearances.
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43 22. Neymar - $37.5 Million
The captain of Brazil’s national team, at only 24, Neymar was able to bring in $14.5 million from his club, FC Barcelona, who he joined in 2013. Even more amazingly, Neymar makes $23 million in endorsements from Nike, Panasonic, Konami, Gillette, and Red Bull, making him the only active soccer player to make more from endorsements over his salary.
In 2016, ESPN ranked him as their fourth most famous athlete in the world, with 109 goals in 196 appearances and so many endorsement deals, it’s easy to see why.
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41 21. Rafael Nadal - $37.5 Million
With 69 career titles, Nadal has established himself as one of tennis’ greatest players over the past decade. An amazing streak came to an end in 2016, when Nadal failed to win a Grand Slam title either at the Australia Open, French Open, US Open, or Wimbledon.
Bringing in $5.5 million in prize money, most of Nadal’s riches come from the companies he endorses, which is a long list including; Tommy Hilfiger, Kia Motors, Nike, and Telefonica (among others) bringing in a grand total of $32 million.
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39 20. Philip Rivers - $38 Million
The first NFL player on the list, Rivers was able to sign a lucrative deal with the San Diego Chargers in 2015 which put $37.5 million into his bank account. Playing with the Chargers since 2004, Rivers hasn’t missed a game since 2006, an incredible achievement, especially in the NFL.
Rivers own most of the Charger’s quarterback records including; most wins (92), most touchdowns (281), and most completions (3,462). His endorsements (while small compared to his salary) are nothing to sneeze at, bringing in an additional $450,000.
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37 19. Sebastian Vettel - $41 Million
With 42 wins (4th all-time) and 4 championships (2010-2013) to his name, Vettel has become a dominant force in F1 racing at a very young age, currently he’s twenty-eight years old. After racing for Red Bull, Vettel signed with Ferrari where he still races in 2016.
Thanks to an incredible contract, he will bring in $40 million plus any bonuses depending on his finishes. Tack on another $1 million in endorsements and Vettel is sitting pretty in the fast lane.
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35 18. Russell Wilson - $41.8 Million
At 27 years old, this 3rd round pick already has a Super Bowl championship and three Pro Bowls to his name. Signing with the Seattle Seahawks, Wilson is cashing in $31.8 million a year, which included a $31 million signing bonus.
He’s also become incredible popular among companies looking to endorse NFL players, his list includes: United Way, Bose, Nike, Microsoft, and Braun. Those names are only about half of his endorsements, which totals $10 million to the guy who’s also engaged to Ciara.
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33 17. Rory McIlroy - $42.6 Million
Rory has been able to compile eleven PGA Tour wins at the age of twenty-seven, including four at the major championships. Even though his performance dropped a bit in the past year, he still brought in $7.6 million in prize money, while still doing amazingly when it comes to endorsements, making $35 million from Nike, Electronic Arts, Omega, Bose, and Upper Deck.
Rory continues to be EA Sports’ representative, replacing Tiger Woods, who was the PGA Tour namesake from 1998 until 2013.
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31 16. Floyd Mayweather - $44 Million
Mentioned in the introduction, Mayweather went from number one all the way to number sixteen, mostly because he wasn't going to bring in the same kind of purse without another Pacquiao fight. After defeating Andre Berto, Mayweather said in the ring he would be retiring from boxing with a record of 49-0.
Known as “Money” Mayweather, he still brought in $32 million from fighting, along with $12 million in endorsements from his “World Tour” and TMT merchandise.