Kohli Only Indian in Latest Forbes’ 100 Highest-paid Athletes List
New Delhi: Virat Kohli is the only Indian who makes the cut in the list of the world’s highest-paid athletes according to Forbes. The India skipper is placed 83 on the list. He is shown to have a salary/winning of $4m and endorsements worth $20m. Kohli was ranked at 89 in the 2017 list which was topped by Ronaldo. Last year, Kohli’s earning through salary and winnings was $3 million while brand endorsements earned him $19 million. Boxing champ Floyd Mayweather and football legend Lionel Messi head the charts. As per the list, the top-100 athletes hail from a total of 22 countries and compete across 11 sporting disciplines. Close on the heels of Messi is another football legend, Cristiano Ronaldo. Mixed martial arts superstar Conor McGregor and Brazilian footballer Neymar complete the top-5 list.
Interestingly, the top-100 paid athletes are all men and there is not a single woman on the list. Former sprint king Usain Bolt has seen his stakes take a dip and is now No.45 on the list. Tennis legend Roger Federer is 7th on the list while his fiercest rival Rafael Nadal completes the top-20 list by occupying the 20th spot.
Mayweather heads the world’s highest-paid athletes for the fourth time in seven years, thanks to a $275 million payday for his August boxing match against UFC star Conor McGregor. Messi’s annual salary and bonus exceeded $80 million, making him the highest-paid player on the pitch this year.
The top-20 list goes: Floyd Mayweather, Lionel Messi, Cristiano Ronaldo, Conor McGregor, Neymar, LeBron James, Roger Federer, Stephen Curry, Matt Ryan, Matthew Stafford, Kevin Durant, Lewis Hamilton, Russell Westbrook, James Harden, Canelo Alvarez, Tiger Woods, Drew Brees, Sebastian Vettel, Derek Carr and Rafael Nadal.
As per the website, Forbes earnings figures include all salaries and bonuses earned between June 1, 2017 and June 1, 2018. Endorsement incomes are an estimate of sponsorship deals, appearance fees and licensing income for the 12 months through June 1 based on conversations with dozens of industry insiders. The earnings do not deduct for taxes or agents’ fees, nor include investment income.
