The coronavirus pandemic continues to have an influence on sports all around the world, but it doesn’t appear to have had an impact on player salaries as there are still plenty of sportsmen making six-figure salaries.
The greatest athletes’ salaries have been increasing over time. In instance, during the previous 12 months, the combined wealth of the wealthiest athletes has surpassed $1 billion.

There have undoubtedly been many influential people, but one noteworthy pattern is that NBA stars predominate on the carefully selected list.

List Of Top 10 Highest Paid Athletes Of 2022

1. Lionel Messi -$130 Million

Lionel Messi, who earned an astounding $130 Million USD in the calendar year, will be the highest-paid athlete in the world in 2022. The sportsman has now, for the first time, equaled Cristiano Ronaldo’s off-field earnings ($55 Million) thanks to endorsements that go beyond his typical partnerships with Adidas, Budweiser, and PepsiCo. In June of last year, the football player rose to prominence when he was named the face of Hard Rock International.

2. LeBron James -$121.2 Million

King James had a standout year in 2021, which was backed by an NBA-record salary. Despite the Los Angeles Lakers’ on-court struggles, number 23 isn’t slowing down in the money department. Lebron improved his situation off the court by investing a $80 million duffel bag in himself, doubling his on-court earnings. With the release of Space Jam: A New Legacy in 2021, he made his acting debut as Hollywood’s leading man. In 2022, he realized a profit when he sold a minority stake in SpringHill Entertainment for about $725 million.

3. Christiano Ronaldo -$115 Million

In 2021, Christiano Ronaldo made history by being the first individual to amass 500 million followers across all of his social media platforms. With 690 million followers as of 2022, he has an enormous amount of influence over brand partnerships. Ronaldo’s off-field earnings of over $55 million are the clearest example of this.

4. Neymar -$95 Million

He signed a sizable contract with Puma in 2021 after announcing the early termination of his deal with Nike’s Jordan Brand, and the offers haven’t stopped coming in. Neymar maintained his projected earnings in 2022 as a result of the Neymar: The Perfect Chaos Netflix documentary series. Along with a few million dollar bored monkeys, NFTs are also on the books for the football star with an NFTSTAR collaboration.

5. Steph Curry -$92.8 Million

Steph Curry won’t be on our list in 2021, but as he benefits from his four-year, $215 million extension deal that he signed in August, expect him to stick around for a few more years. Where will he stand in the contract’s final year when he is expected to earn about $60 million? Who knows, but FTX Metaverse and Unanimous Media (Comcast NBCUniversal) should be at the top if the external investments in them pay off.

6. Kevin Durant -$92.1 Million

Kevin Durant, a star for the Brooklyn Nets, recovered from an Achilles injury that forced him to sit out the 2019–2020 season by securing a large bag. And even though the Nets’ hopes of making the playoffs in 2021–2022, his earnings off the court gave him a cushion worth $50 Million. NBA Top Shot, Coinbase, Weedmaps, and NFT platform OpenSea are some of his most recent investment prospects.

7. Rodger Federer -$ 90.7 Million

Rodger Federer was the athlete who earned the most money off the court this year. With deals flowing in left, right, and center, the tennis star aced his way to an astounding figure of $90 Million off the court, with the biggest deals including Uniqlo and Rolex. When the business went public in September and generated an enormous $600 Million, his early investment in On running (2019) paid off.

8. Canelo Alvarez -$90 Million

Alvarez will appear on the list of the highest-paid sportsmen in 2022 as a result of two boxing contests that he won in the past year that each brought in more than $40 million. Mexican boxing matches will be broadcast on Matchroom Boxing and DAZN thanks to agreements with Hennesey and Canelo Productions.

9. Tom Brady -$83.9 Million

The now 44-year-old, who came out of retirement after only six weeks, looks like he won’t be stopping anytime soon after capping off an incredible season with a Lombardi trophy to boot in 2021. The quarterback of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers increased his wealth in 2021 through endorsement deals with clothing giant Fanatics and eyewear manufacturer Christopher Cloos. He also has a MASSIVE $540 million deal with Fox set up for 2022.

10. Giannis Antetokounmpo -$80.9 Million

Giannis Antetokounmpo, the only person on the list of the highest-paid sportsmen in the world for 2022 who is under 30, inked a five-year, $228 million contract in December 2020, so expect him to remain there for a very long time. Off the field, he has also had endorsements from Whatsapp, Google, and a soon-to-be-released biopic on Disney+ called Rise, which will undoubtedly keep him on the list for the next ten years.