Lionel Messi was the highest-paid sports star in 2022 – pipping Lebron James to top spot.
The World Cup winner is one of three footballers to make the Forbes top ten list, alongside PSG team-mate Neymar and rival Cristiano Ronaldo.
Messi has several big-money endorsements and now earns as much off the pitch as Ronaldo, whose Manchester United wage was cut in the summer.
The Portuguese is now without a club but maintains his position as the third highest-paid athlete of the year.
That is thanks to Conor McGregor dropping out of the top ten – the UFC star did not have a single fight in 2022 due to injury issues.
Other big names have slipped out of the top ten including Sir Lewis Hamilton, and that means there is space for four basketballers included – the most of any sport.
Kylian Mbappe, Tyson Fury, Max Verstappen and Tiger Woods all miss out, so who are the top ten highest paid athletes of 2022?
Here below is the list of the top ten richest top stars of 2022
1. Lionel Messi – Football – £108m
2. Lebron James – Basketball – £101m
3. Cristiano Ronaldo – Football – £96m
4. Neymar – Football – £79m
5. Stephen Curry – Basketball – £77m
6. Kevin Durant – Basketball – £77m
7. Roger Federer – Tennis – £75m
8. Canelo Alvarez – Boxing – £75m
9. Tom Brady – American Football – £70m
10. Giannis Antetokounmpo – Basketball – £67m
