Lionel Messi Beats Ronaldo, LeBron James to Emerge Top of Forbes List of Highest Earning Athletes

• The list of the world's highest-paid athletes has been announced, and Lionel Messi of Paris Saint-Germain is at the top
• The ten athletes on the list earned a total of $992 million, with Messi accounting for $130 million of it
• Only Messi, Ronaldo, PSG, and Brazil forward Neymar made the Forbes top 10, which is dominated by sportsmen from different sports

Lionel Messi has been recognized by financial magazine, Forbes as the highest-paid athlete in the world, defeating the likes of arch-rival Cristiano Ronaldo to the accolade.

The Argentine forward made a total of $130 million in the year under review to surpass the earnings of all other superstar athletes, with Ronaldo earning just $115m.

According to a report via the Daily Mirror, the top 10 athletes on the list earned a total of $992m from May 2021 to May 2022 and was calculated based on their combined total of their on-field and off-field earnings.

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Basketball star, Lebron James is second on the list with a total earning of $121.2m, while Roger Federer, despite having played fewer games on the tennis court, earned $90.7m.

Other athletes in the top 10 include boxer Canelo Alvarez, NFL legend Tom Brady, basketball stars Stephen Curry, Kevin Durant and Giannis Antetokounmpo.

Forbes' list of the top 10 highest-earning athletes

1. Lionel Messi ($130m)

2. LeBron James ($121.2m)

3. Cristiano Ronaldo ($115m)

4. Neymar ($95m)

5. Stephen Curry ($92.8m)

6. Kevin Durant ($92.1m)

7. Roger Federer ($90.7m)

8. Canelo Alvarez ($90m)

9. Tom Brady ($83.9m)

10. Giannis Antetokonmpo ($80.9m)

Lionel Messi visits Saudi Arabia

Meanwhile, Lionel Messi is enjoying his holidays after clinching the French Ligue 1 title with Paris Saint-Germain.

According to Marca, the Argentine forward has travelled to Jeddah, Saudi Arabia to take part in an event with the Ministry of Tourism of Saudi Arabia.

Messi was joined by a family member and Leandro Paredes, a PSG and Argentina national team teammate.

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Ligue 1 snubs Lionel Messi from shortlist for prestigious award

Earlier, Sports Brief reported Ligue 1 has excluded Lionel Messi from the final shortlist for the Player of the Season award.

Messi's exclusion from the prestigious prize comes after an underwhelming debut season in the French top flight with Paris Saint-Germain.

The seven-time Ballon d'Or star moved to the French capital last summer, sealing a sensational transfer to PSG from Barcelona.