Federer Depak Messi From The Top Of The Forbes List Of Most Expensive Athletes

Roger Federer (Instagram @rogerfederer)

JAKARTA - Forbes' version of the annual list of highest paid sportsmen was released on Friday, May 29. In the list, Roger Federer occupies the top position, expelling Lionel Messi.

The Swiss tennis player, who holds a record 20 Grand Slam titles, earned $ 106.3 million in the past 12 months, including $ 100 million from the endorsement, to move up four places and become the first tennis player to succeed top position.

Then, there are soccer players Cristiano Ronaldo (105 million US dollars), Messi (104 million US dollars), and Neymar (95.5 million US dollars) and American basketball player LeBron James (88.2 million US dollars) to complete the position. the top five.

"The outbreak of COVID-19 triggered a cut in wages for soccer stars Messi and Ronaldo, paving the way for tennis players to climb the ranks of the world's highest paid athletes for the first time," said Kurt Badenhausen, senior editor at Forbes.

Japanese tennis player Naomi Osaka (37.4 million US dollars), who is ranked 29th on the list, surpassed fellow tennis player Serena Williams (36 million US dollars) to become the highest earning female athlete in the world.

Only Osaka and Williams are the female athletes on the Forbes list.

Basketball players dominate the roster with 35 players among the world's 100 most expensive athletes. Furthermore, American football follows with 31 athletes, although none have earned more than six-time Super Bowl champion Tom Brady ($ 45 million) who is ranked 25th.

Football is the next most represented sport with 14 players, followed by tennis (six), boxing and MMA (five), golf (four), motor racing (three), and baseball and cricket with one each.