The Highest Paid Athletes of 2019

The best athletes in the world are not just adored by fans in their home country, they are revered at a global level. While the best in any game will take home impressive salaries, there is also a significant amount of money to be made through endorsing products.

The highest earning athletes in sports usually take home both salaries along with having multiple lucrative endorsement deals. The sports that truly have global reach like soccer and basketball, feature the world's biggest endorsers. Below is a list of the highest earning athletes of the last year.

Lionel Messi - $127 Million

messi highest paid athletes
Tim Clayton/Corbis via Getty Images
Tim Clayton/Corbis via Getty Images

Soccer, more than any other sport, is a global phenomenon. The athletes become more valuable to any brand they represent due to the sheer fact that more people play soccer than any other sport. To be the best soccer player in the world is akin to being the best endorser in the world.

For many years, Lionel Messi has been seen as one of, if not the best player in the world. The 32-year-old Argentine will make $92 million in salary to go along with $35 million in sponsorship pay.

ADVERTISEMENT

Cristiano Ronaldo - $109 Million

ADVERTISEMENT
ronaldo highest paid athletes
Nicolò Campo/LightRocket via Getty Images
Nicolò Campo/LightRocket via Getty Images
ADVERTISEMENT

Cristiano Ronaldo was born in Portugal in February of 1985. He made his Premiere League debut in 2003 and has been a sensation ever since. Not only is Ronaldo one of the best scorers in the world, but he was also blessed with fantastic looks.

ADVERTISEMENT

Advertisers are happy to incorporate Ronaldo's handsome face into their campaigns. And they pay him very well for the privilege. The Portuguese superstar raked in $44 million in endorsement money to go along with a salary of $65 million.

ADVERTISEMENT

Neymar - $105 Million

ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
neymar highest paid athletes
FRANCK FIFE/AFP via Getty Images
FRANCK FIFE/AFP via Getty Images
ADVERTISEMENT

Few countries have a more incredible legacy in the sport of soccer than Brazil. From Pele to Ronaldo and now to Neymar, the team usually goes deep into the World Cup and spreads star players all over the world. And right now, the best Brazilian soccer player is Neymar.

ADVERTISEMENT

And that status comes with some pretty incredible endorsement deals. He's also great on the field winning a 2016 Olympic gold medal along with the 2018 World Cup. He earns $75 million in salary to go along with $30 million in sponsor pay.

ADVERTISEMENT

Canelo Alvarez - $94 Million

ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
canelo alvarez highest paid athletes
Valery SharifulinTASS via Getty Images
Valery SharifulinTASS via Getty Images
ADVERTISEMENT

Interest in the heavyweight boxing class has dwindled in the past few years thanks to uninteresting fights. The light heavyweight division, however, has been in fine hands with its current champion, Canelo Alvarez. Alvarez moved up to the class after dominating a number of fighters in the lower classes.

ADVERTISEMENT

His reputation and his willingness to fight regularly create huge purses for the Mexican fighter. Alvarez earned an incredible $92 million in salary/winnings in the last year, tying Messi. He also brought in $2 million in endorsement money.

ADVERTISEMENT

Roger Federer - $93.4 Million

ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
roger federer highest paid athletes
TPN/Getty Images
TPN/Getty Images
ADVERTISEMENT

Roger Federer has been playing tennis for a very long time, 21 years to be exact. And in that time, he's attracted a number of different sponsors. And for that reason, only 8% of what the tennis player made in the last year actually came from winnings.

ADVERTISEMENT

The star took home $93.4 million in total with $86 million coming from endorsements and $7.4 million coming from his play on the court. While he is close to retirement, Federer should continue to take in big advertising bucks.

ADVERTISEMENT

Russell Wilson - $89.5 Million

ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
3_jyn
Ed Szczepanski/Ed Szczepanski-USA TODAY Sports
Ed Szczepanski/Ed Szczepanski-USA TODAY Sports
ADVERTISEMENT

Russell Wilson has started the first half of the 2019 NFL season on fire and is considered the favorite for the league's MVP award. Luckily for the Seattle Seahawks, they inked their star quarterback to a long term deal prior to the season.

ADVERTISEMENT

With the way to bonuses are structured, Wilson will be receiving a large part of his contract in the first year taking home $80.5 million in salary to go along with $9 million in endorsements. That makes him the highest-paid player in America's big four sports.

ADVERTISEMENT

Aaron Rodgers - $89.3 Million

ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
2_jun
Pinterest
Pinterest
ADVERTISEMENT

Aaron Rodgers has been one of the very best players in the NFL since he began starting games for the Packers back in the 2008 season. The quarterback has become synonymous with Green Bay and the team inked him to a large extension in 2018 to make sure he was always with the team.

ADVERTISEMENT

Like many NFL contracts, the deal includes a bunch of guarantees and bonus money upfront. Rodgers received $80.3 million in salary during the last year and also made $9 million in endorsements.

ADVERTISEMENT

LeBron James - $89 Million

ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
lebron james highest paid athletes
Jevone Moore/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images
Jevone Moore/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images
ADVERTISEMENT

No American athlete makes more money in endorsements than LeBron James. He has been the face of Nike since he was a teenager and has a lifetime deal to keep representing the company.

ADVERTISEMENT

The small forward inked a 2018 contract with the Los Angeles Lakers, but with a salary cap, there is a limit to what each NBA player could make. There is no limit to what a sponsor can pay, though. James took home $56 million in endorsements to go along with a $36 million salary.

ADVERTISEMENT

Stephen Curry - $79.8 Million

ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
stephen curry highest paid athletes
Jun Sato/WireImage
Jun Sato/WireImage
ADVERTISEMENT

Stephen Curry may make more money, salary-wise, than any other player in the NBA, though he doesn't top the league in total money, LeBron James does. Curry, though, still takes in a very impressive $79.8 million in total.

ADVERTISEMENT

Unlike many of his peers who represent Nike or Adidas, Curry is the face of Under Armour's shoe program. This has made him a very rich man. The NBA star took home $42 million from endorsements in the last year.

ADVERTISEMENT

Kevin Durant - $65.4 Million

ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
kevin durant highest paid athletes
Taylor Hill/Getty Images
Taylor Hill/Getty Images
ADVERTISEMENT

For the second time in 5 years, Kevin Durant ruled the NBA offseason. Despite an Achilles tendon tear that will prevent him from playing in the 2019-20 season, the forward was still the crown jewel of the league's free agents.

ADVERTISEMENT

Durant ended up landing a major deal with the Brooklyn Nets. In addition to his whopping $30.4 million dollar salary, the new Net will also take home a total of $35 million in endorsement money as well.

ADVERTISEMENT

Tiger Woods - $63.9 Million

ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
tiger woods highest paid athletes
TOSHIFUMI KITAMURA/AFP via Getty Images
TOSHIFUMI KITAMURA/AFP via Getty Images
ADVERTISEMENT

It's strange to see Tiger Woods this far down the list. At one point, the golfer was the undisputed King of sponsorships. That, however, was before a series of injuries and a very public and controversial divorce.

ADVERTISEMENT

The brands that stuck with Woods, including longtime partner, Nike, were repaid when the golfer captured the 2019 Masters. In the last year, Woods earned $9.9 million from his play on the links to go along with another $54 million in endorsement money.

ADVERTISEMENT

Ben Roethlisberger - $55.5 Million

ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
ben roethlisberger highest paid athletes
Joe Sargent/Getty Images
Joe Sargent/Getty Images
ADVERTISEMENT

When a team has a star level quarterback, there is nothing more important than holding on to him. The Steelers have been able to keep Ben Roethlisberger happy since selecting him during the 2004 NFL Draft.

ADVERTISEMENT

One foolproof way to keep a player happy is by giving him a massive contract. In the last year, many of Roethlisberger's bonuses hit and he earned a total of $54 million. The quarterback also had some endorsement deals that paid him an additional $1 million.

ADVERTISEMENT

Lewis Hamilton - $55 Million

ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
lewis hamilton highest paid athletes
NELSON ALMEIDA/AFP via Getty Images
NELSON ALMEIDA/AFP via Getty Images
ADVERTISEMENT

Formula One Racing is one of the most lucrative sports in the world. And that can be especially true if the racer is one of the best in the world. Since his debut in 2007, British-born Lewis Hamilton has been the best of the best.

ADVERTISEMENT

Hamilton has won a total of six championships in 2008, 2014, 2015, 2017, 2018 and 2019. The 2019 win helped him bring in $45 million in the last year. Lucrative endorsements with companies like Mercedes added another $10 million to his take.

ADVERTISEMENT

Anthony Joshua - $55 Million

ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
anthony joshua highest paid athletes
Steven Paston/PA Images via Getty Images
Steven Paston/PA Images via Getty Images
ADVERTISEMENT

For a championship level boxer, the time to make the big bucks is short. Thirty-year-old British fighter Anthony Joshua knows that his time is now and he fought two big fights over the past year, earning his $45 million in purse money to go along with $10 million in sponsor money.

ADVERTISEMENT

The first fight was against Alexander Povetkin and Joshua won by TKO. He dropped his next fight, however, to American Andy Ruiz Jr. Joshua and Ruiz Jr. will fight again in December of 2019.

ADVERTISEMENT

Khalil Mack - $55 Million

ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
khalil mack highest paid athletes
Daniel Bartel/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images
Daniel Bartel/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images
ADVERTISEMENT

The most valuable position in the NFL is the quarterback and those players are paid accordingly. The next two most important players are those who protect the quarterback and those who go after him. Khalil Mack goes after the QB better than anyone in football.

ADVERTISEMENT

The Bears were thrilled when they were able to acquire Mack from the Raiders. They immediately signed him to a huge deal that paid him $54 million over his first year. The linebacker added another $1 million in endorsements.

ADVERTISEMENT

Russell Westbrook - $53.7 Million

ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
russell westbrook highest paid athletes
Sean Gardner/Getty Images
Sean Gardner/Getty Images
ADVERTISEMENT

It can be very difficult for small market teams to convince their very best players to stay. The Oklahoma City Thunder were able to do just that in 2017 when they inked point guard Russell Westbrook to a lucrative extension.

ADVERTISEMENT

The joy in Oklahoma City was short-lived though. During the 2019 offseason, the Thunder made the difficult decision to rebuild and dealt away both Paul George and Westbrook. The triple-double machine, now a Houston Rocket, he made $18 million in endorsements and $35.7 million in salary last year.

ADVERTISEMENT

Novak Djokovic - $50.6

ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
Novak Djokovic highest paid athletes
James Chance/Getty Images
James Chance/Getty Images
ADVERTISEMENT

Novak Djokovic hasn't just been one of the best players in the game of tennis since his debut in 2003. He has also been one of the games most charismatic players as well and advertisers have noticed and paid him accordingly.

ADVERTISEMENT

Djokovic is still regularly winning tournaments and earned himself $20.6 million in prize money. He was also in demand as a sponsor and took home another $30 million in money from advertising gigs.

ADVERTISEMENT

Mike Trout $50.6 Million

ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
mike trout highest paid athletes
Michael Zagaris/Oakland Athletics/Getty Images
Michael Zagaris/Oakland Athletics/Getty Images
ADVERTISEMENT

Mike Trout is an astonishingly good baseball player. So good, in fact, he probably punched his ticket to the MLB Hall of Fame before he even turned 30. Not much of the country's casual fans know about his greatness, though, because his team has not been very good.

ADVERTISEMENT

In 2019, Trout took home his 3rd MVP Award. But the Angels have never won a playoff game since he began playing for the team in 2011. Trout earned $47.6 million in salary in the last year and $3 million in endorsements.

ADVERTISEMENT

Phil Mickelson - $48.4 Million

ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
phil mickelson highest paid athletes
Ross Kinnaird/Getty Images
Ross Kinnaird/Getty Images
ADVERTISEMENT

Phil Mickelson has been a great golfer for a very long time. As good as he is at golf , though, he may be an even better pitchman. Lefty has never wanted for endorsement deals.

ADVERTISEMENT

During 2019, the golfer took home his 44th career PGA Tour win and won a total of $12.4 million in prize money. He also endorsed a number of companies and was paid a whopping $36 million as a product sponsor.

ADVERTISEMENT

James Harden - $47.7 Million

ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
james harden highest paid athletes
Sean Gardner/Getty Images
Sean Gardner/Getty Images
ADVERTISEMENT

James Harden began his career as a sort of a third banana behind Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook. It is unlikely the Thunder could never have imagined what the shooting guard would become once he was dealt to Houston.

ADVERTISEMENT

Harden has made the last 7 consecutive All-Star games and also won the league's MVP Award in 2018 as well. He also has a lucrative deal with Adidas. He was paid $17 million in endorsements and $30.7 million in salary.