Paris Saint-Germain star footballer Lionel Messi has topped the list of Forbes' highest-paid athletes in the world for the year 2022, with a staggering fortune of $130 million. The Argentine star striker pipped renowned Basketball star, LeBron James and Manchester United forward Cristiano Ronaldo in the list released on Wednesday.
Forbes annually releases the list of the world's highest-paid athletes, and Messi was adjudged as the top-earning sportsperson in the world, for the 12-month cycle from last year, which ended on May 1, 2022.
Earlier in 2021, Messi had finished in second place behind renowned MMA fighter Conor McGregor, but after switching his allegiance to Paris Saint-Germain last summer, Messi has topped the list once again.
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Having secured a lucrative deal with PSG last year, Messi also raked in a mammoth $55 million in endorsements.
Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James finished a close second, with his total earnings of $121 million. In the process, James shattered his own record of last year, having amassed a fortune of $96.5, which was the then highest sum for an NBA player.
Manchester United ace Cristiano Ronaldo rounded off the top three with his tally of $115 million securing him a third-place finish.
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Messi's PSG teammate Neymar ($95 million), and three-time NBA champion Stephen Curry ($92.8 million) finished in fourth and fifth place respectively.
Another NBA legend Kevin Durant finished sixth ($92 million), while the only Tennis player on this star-studded list, Swiss icon Roger Federer finished a close seventh with earnings of $90.7 million.
Elsewhere, renowned Mexican boxer Canelo Alvarez ($90 million), seven-time Super Bowl champion Tom Brady ($83.9 million) and former NBA finals MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo ($80.9 million) rounded off the top 10.
