120 million! Athletes’ income list： Messi beats Cristiano Ronaldo, which is the only one in the list, with a total score of 20.

Football is the most popular sport in the world, and the income of famous stars is also the top level in the world. Cristiano Ronaldo’s sky-high annual salary of $200 million now also shows the popularity of football, and this popularity is worldwide, so it is easier to increase income. Of course, not every player can enjoy the high salary. Playing football is also a profession, and the income level will be distinguished according to the ability. Therefore, the low-income people in football occupy a large proportion, so the gap between the rich and the poor of athletes is still very large.

Recently, Sportico, a sports business media, published a set of information. In 2022, the top 100 athletes in the world earned the highest income. Among them, football, as the most popular sport, occupied 12 places in the top 100, and basketball, one of the three big balls, also occupied a large proportion.

Among the top 10 sports athletes, there are 3 football players, all of whom are in the top 5. Messi’s salary of $72 million plus business endorsement of $50 million, with a total income of $122 million, ranks second. Cristiano Ronaldo, who has not yet moved to a local Saudi team, ranks third with a total income of $115 million. In 2023, Cristiano Ronaldo’s annual salary will reach $200 million, and his total income will rise sharply.

Neymar ranks fourth with a revenue of $103 million, and the top four football players occupy three seats, which proves that football stars have higher commercial value and football is more popular. Other top 100 footballers included Mbappé (US$ 254.88 million), Bell (US$ 304.33 million), Azar (US$ 413.79 million), Iniesta (US$ 533.50 million), Salah (US$ 573.42 million) and Levan (US$ 633.00 million).

In 2022, the American basketball player James ranked first in terms of athletes’ income. Although his annual salary was only $36.9 million, only half of that of Messi last year, his commercial contracts were as high as $90 million, and the commercial contracts were generally more and more, so James’ income was also increasing, making him a unique player in the world sports world.

Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo’s income is also unique in football. Even at the age of 38 or 36, they are still the most attractive players in football. Mbappé, of course, because of his age advantage, has the meaning of catching up with others. The total annual salary of Mbappé’s contract can reach 200 million, but it includes signing fee, loyalty bonus and so on, so it is not included in the list. However, if Mbappé wants to achieve the success of Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo, it still needs to maintain a long-term and stable state. Of course, Messi is a well-deserved king, both in honor and income, especially after winning the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 championship.