These Are The Highest-Paid Athletes In The World In 2021

Find out who made it to Forbes’ highest-paid athletes list 2021 By Helen Yu May 18, 2021

On May 12, 2021, Forbes released its list of the highest-paid athletes in the world for 2021, marking the very top earners in the sports industry based on their earnings derived from prize money, salaries, bonuses and endorsements during the past 12 months (between May 1, 2020 and May, 2021).

Although the pandemic has wreaked havoc on sport with lots of major events being cancelled or postponed, the report reveals that the ten highest-paid athletes had taken home pretax gross earnings of US$1.05 billion over the last year, which is 28% more than 2020’s top earners. 

This year, MMA fighter Conor McGregor tops the list with US$180 million in total earnings, edging past the two football legends Lionel Messi (#2) and Cristiano Ronaldo (#3) who’ve been topping the charts consistently in the past few years. Read on to discover the full list and find out how much do the superstars make.  

Photo: Getty Images

Nationality: Ireland

Age: 32

Sport: MMA 

Earning ratio: US$22 million (on the field); US$158 million (off the field) 

Total: US$180 million 

Photo: Getty Images

Nationality: Argentina

Age: 33

Sport: Soccer 

Earning ratio: US$97 million (on the field); US$33 million (off the field) 

Total: US$130 million  

Photo: Getty Images

Nationality: Portugal

Age: 36

Sport: Soccer 

Earning ratio: US$70 million (on the field); US$50 million (off the field)

Total: US$120 million 

Photo: Getty Images

Nationality: United States

Age: 27

Sport: Football (NFL)

Earning ratio: US$97.5 million (on the field); US$10 million (off the field) 

Total: US$107.5 million 

Photo: Getty Images

Nationality: United States

Age: 36

Sport: Basketball

Earning ratio: US$31.5 million (on the field); US$65 million (off the field) 

Total: US$96.5 million 

Photo: Getty Images

Nationality: Brazil

Age: 29

Sport: Soccer

Earning ratio: US$76 million (on the field); US$19 million (off the field) 

Total: US$95 million 

Photo: Getty Images

Nationality: Switzerland 

Age: 39

Sport: Tennis

Earning ratio: US$30,000 (on the field); US$90 million (off the field) 

Total: US$90 million

Photo: Getty Images

Nationality: United Kingdom 

Age: 36

Sport: Formula 1

Earning ratio: US$70 million (on the field); US$12 million (off the field) 

Total: US$82 million 

Photo: Getty Images

Nationality: United States

Age: 43

Sport: Football (NFL)

Earning ratio: US$45 million (on the field); US$31 million (off the field)

Total: US$76 million 

Photo: Getty Images

Nationality: United States 

Age: 32

Sport: Basketball

Earning ratio: US$31 million (on the field); US$44 million (off the field)

Total: US$75 million  

Find out more about Forbes’ Highest-Paid Athletes 2021 list here