Ronaldo and Beckham among 10 richest athletes in the world

David Beckham and Cristiano Ronaldo both feature in the list of the top ten highest earners in the world of sport compiled by Forbes.

The former England captain pipped the Real Madrid star to eighth place, earning $9 million (€7.1m) at LA Galaxy with $37m (€29.1m) coming in from various endorsements in 2011.


Ronaldo’s salary dwarfed Beckham’s, with the Portuguese raking in $20.5m (€16.1m) for his services at the Santiago Bernabeu last year. He made less from endorsements, however, having earned $22m (€17.3m) for his ‘extra curricular’ activities.

The wing duo, who both wore the No. 7 shirt for Manchester United, brought in a massive $88.5m (€69.6m) together but that total is only slightly more than the figure boxer Floyd Mayweather recieved for just two fights on his own.

Mayweather, who is currently serving time in prison, earned a whopping $85m (€67m) from his fights alone, having received no income for any endorsements.

Tiger Woods dropped from top spot in the table to third, with fellow golfer Phil Mickelson coming in just above Beckham in seventh.

Another boxer, Manny Pacquiao, took second place, with basketball stars LeBron James and Kobe Bryant taking fourth and sixth place respectively.

Tennis legend Roger Federer placed fifth, with Denver Broncos quarterback Peyton Manning squeezing onto the list in 10th place.
FORBES’ TOP 10 HIGHEST PAID ATHLETES

1. Floyd Mayweather $85m (€67m)
2. Manny Pacquiao $62m (€48.8m)
3. Tiger Woods $59.4m (€46.8m)
4. LeBron James $53m (€41.7m)
5. Roger Federer $52.7m (€41.5m)
6. Kobe Bryant $52.3m (€41.2m)
7. Phil Mickelson $47.8m (€37.6m)
8. David Beckham $46m (€36.2m)
9. Cristiano Ronaldo $42.5m (€33.5m)
10. Peyton Manning $42.4m (€33.4m)