Messi, who scored 36 goals while leading Barcelona to the La Liga title this year, earned $127 million between his salary and endorsements to move up one spot on the list of the world’s 100 highest-paid athletes. Brazil legend Ronaldo rates Messi over Portuguese RonaldoJuventus forward Cristiano Ronaldo ($109 million), Paris Saint-Germain forward Neymar ($105 million), Mexican boxer Canelo Alvarez ($94 million) and Swiss tennis great Roger Federer ($93.4 million) rounded out the top five. American football was the next most-represented sport with 19 players, followed by baseball with 15, and soccer with 12. According to Forbes, the highest-paid athletes of its list collectively earned $4 billion over the last 12 months, up 5% from last year’s earnings of $3.8 billion. Messi receives World Cup-winning advice from former US president ObamaForbes also said Americans dominate the list with 62 athletes, which it credits to sky-high salaries in the major sports leagues.

Source: The Express Tribune June 12, 2019 11:26 UTC